Pubdate: Tue, 21 May 2013
Source: Daily Astorian, The (OR)
Copyright: 2013 The Daily Astorian
Contact:  http://www.dailyastorian.info/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1629

WASHINGTON'S BIG POT EXPERIMENT

It still is pretty extraordinary to realize that Washington state is 
marching steadily forward to legalizing retail sales of marijuana 
early next year. It will happen unless there is unexpected 
intervention by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Last Thursday, the state's Liquor Control Board issued new draft 
rules for regulating these sales. In one more indication that there 
is great fascination in this subject, the board tweeted Friday 
morning that the rules were downloaded 3,373 times in their first 19 
hours on the agency website  and this "might be a record for interest 
in government rules."

The switch from an illicit substance regulated only by the informal 
marketplace to a heavily regulated consumer product that any adult 
can buy is unprecedented. Even when alcoholic beverages became lawful 
again with repeal of Prohibition, there still were many people who 
knew all about what they were selling and buying, and how to go about 
it. When it comes to marijuana, in many cases the most knowledgeable 
individuals have until recently been criminals.

This fact plays a major role in Washington's new rules. After 
substantial lobbying at initial scoping meetings, the liquor board is 
planning to ease the way for relatively low-level (or careful) pot 
dealers and users to gain an official foothold in the new legal 
marketplace. Applicants for sales licenses will have to submit to 
criminal background checks and fingerprinting, but only felony 
convictions will disqualify a person from applying for a marijuana store.

Still to come is a decision about how many licenses to allow in each 
county, likely to be based on population. If there are more 
applications than licenses, a random drawing will be held.

A partial survey of current liquor license holders in Pacific County 
found no one interested in taking on what will surely be a 
controversial and potentially problematic new product. But marijuana 
shops need not be housed by liquor sellers.

All this comes at a time when the Organization of American States - 
heavily weighted toward Latin American nations - is considering an 
end to the blanket prohibition on recreational drugs. Looking at the 
social destruction wrought in their own nations by criminal drug 
gangs in light of the moves by Washington state and Colorado to 
legalize marijuana, the OAS perceives a need to change the game to 
one that focuses more on health.

It still remains to be seen whether open access to an additional 
popular drug, marijuana, will clarify matters or merely lead to more 
intoxication in our rural areas that already struggle with much 
alcohol and drug addiction. It appears likely as the months tick by 
toward implementation of Washington's law that we will have a front 
seat to observe and participate in a big experiment.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom