YAKIMA, Wash. - As a cousin to marijuana, hemp has long been banned despite a huge potential for use in a wide range of products, including clothing, building materials and even shampoo. But Yakima will soon be at the forefront of the state's efforts to develop a research program that could lead to a commercial hemp industry. The state Department of Agriculture plans to hire a Yakima-based program specialist to help draft and adopt rules needed to create the program, which is expected to launch in time for the 2017 growing season. [continues 855 words]
The news seemed almost anachronistic in this era of relaxed ordinances and attitudes about marijuana. Last week, law enforcement officials announced that illegal marijuana production in Washington state has plummeted - even though large numbers of plants still flourish on the state's public lands. But the cultivation, sale and consumption of marijuana are legal in this state, right? So why does it matter? It matters because not-so-savory elements are involved in the state's massive illegal grows, It also matters to maintain the structure of the state's marijuana legalization - given the flaws of a law that expands the availability of an intoxicating substance and runs afoul of federal law. [continues 371 words]
SAN FRANCISCO - A fight next year over whether to allow recreational marijuana use in California may serve as a tipping point as legalization proponents press their campaign in other states. "A lot of eyes are on California," said Gavin Newsom, the state's lieutenant governor and a legalization proponent. "It's very different than almost any other state because of the scale and the magnitude of the change and what it will represent across the country." The most populous state is among at least five, including Massachusetts and Maine, in which legalization measures are likely to appear on ballots in November 2016. Both advocates and opponents say California is the key battleground, where success or failure is likely to determine whether most of the country decriminalizes the drug for recreational use. [continues 887 words]
About a year ago, the Yakima City Council heard accusations of hypocrisy as it supported a request by the Association of Washington Cities for the state to share recreational marijuana taxes with cities. The council's move came just weeks after the City Council had voted to ban marijuana businesses, and critics said the city can't have it both ways. But the city -- and the association -- argued that with the drug being legal after voters approved Initiative 502, the city faced increased law enforcement needs to combat offenses such as driving under the influence and minors in possession. Our position was that cities like Yakima needed to document the extra law enforcement and health care costs if it wanted a piece of the revenue pie. [continues 359 words]
Citizen initiatives have proven a popular feature of state politics ever since they won approval in 1912, less than a quarter century after Washington became a state. It's true that the initiatives serve a valuable function when our elected officials - for whatever reasons - - refuse to acknowledge the will of the people on a particular issue. The drawback to initiatives is they offer a one-size-fits-all solution that is not subject to the give-and-take of the legislative process. The vetting by state lawmakers and the amendment process help identify unintended consequences of legislation and usually resolve them before they become law. Initiatives, on the other hand, offer clunky implementation that frequently warrants legislative intervention. [continues 668 words]
PROSSER - Another benefactor has stepped forward to reward the Prosser School District and another organization for their refusal of a $14,000 donation from a marijuana grower. Rich Gerlitz, a Richland resident and 1971 graduate of Prosser High School, and his wife, Jan, recently gave $7,000 checks to the district and the Prosser branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton & Franklin Counties after both turned down money from Randy Williams, owner of Fireweed Farms just north of town. Williams approached the district about donating some money after he made about $600,000 during a Nov. 15 marijuana auction. Superintendent Ray Tolcacher and the Prosser School Board turned it down, saying it could send mixed signals to students about marijuana. [continues 195 words]
Methamphetamine may be on the decline nationally, but officials say the stimulant's use is still going strong in Yakima County. "We see the occasional prescription drug deal and still see some marijuana cases, but those are related to juveniles in school," said John Durand, chief criminal deputy for the Yakima County Sheriff's Office. "I would say meth is the big one right now." Meth possession and selling are the most prevalent drug offenses on the Yakima County Superior Court docket. And the drug contributed to more than half of the county's fatal overdoses last year. [continues 787 words]
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Spurred by the recent Interior Department decision to block the use of federal irrigation water to cultivate marijuana, the four U.S. senators from Washington and Colorado want the White House to direct federal agencies to adopt uniform guidelines impacting recreational pot. In a letter Monday to White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, the lawmakers said the water ruling conflicts with earlier guidelines issued by the Justice and Treasury departments that seek to enforce the federal ban on marijuana only selectively. [continues 392 words]
Dean Holcomb sits in his Yakima motel room June 27, 2014. Holcomb has been living off and on in motel rooms since he had to sell his home following a raid by law enforcement agents and their seizure of medical marijuna plants from his Lower Valley farm. Holcomb, 58, was convicted of a misdemeanor marijuna possession and will spend six months in prison. He must report to authorities July 3, 2014. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic) Rows of marijuana plants grow at Dean Holcomb's farm in the Lower Valley in August, 2013. The plants, which were intended for medical marijuana use, were seized by federal agents Sept. 24, 2013. (Photo by Dean Holcomb)This cellphone photo shows law enforcement agents hauling off a truckload of marijuana plants from Dean Holcomb's Lower Valley farm on Sept. 24, 2014. (Photo by Dean Holcomb)Dean Holcomb sits in his Yakima motel room June 27, 2014. Holcomb has been living off and on in motel rooms since he had to sell his home following a raid by law enforcement agents and their seizure of medical marijuna plants from his Lower Valley farm. Holcomb, 58, was convicted of a misdemeanor marijuna possession and will spend six months in prison. He must report to authorities July 3, 2014. (GORDON KING/Yakima Herald-Republic)In this Thursday, May 8, 2014 photo, from left, Larry Harvey, Rhonda Firestack-Harvey, and Rolland Gregg stand in the plaza in front of the federal courthouse in Spokane, Wash. The three are charged with growing marijuana at a remote farm near Kettle Falls, Wash. Each face mandatory minimum sentences of at least 10 years in prison after they were caught growing about 70 pot plants on their rural, mountainous property. Medical marijuana advocates have cried foul, arguing the prosecution violates Department of Justice policies announced by Attorney General Eric Holder last year that nonviolent, small-time drug offenders shouldn't face lengthy prison sentences. (AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios) Phone: 509-577-7674 Follow me on: By Kate Prengaman / Yakima Herald-Republic [continues 2714 words]
To the editor - Now that the federal government has determined that the Bureau of Reclamation, being it is a federal entity, is not allowed to supply water to marijuana growers, does that mean that the growers do not have to pay for the water that the irrigation district is providing? Last I knew is that you had to pay for your irrigation water or the irrigation district could put a lien on your property for not paying. I feel if I have to pay for my irrigation water or lose my farm because I didn't, then I should be able to use it for whatever crop I wanted to. Keith Jenks Grandview [end]
To the editor - Scare tactics! The police chief, city manager and Yakima City Council are on red alert for "more criminal activity" caused by marijuana. It's too early this year for any statistics. However, a March 1 Yakima Herald-Republic article stated there were 360 DUI cases in Yakima in 2013, and just 37 were under the influence of marijuana. That's only 10.2 percent. Marijuana is not that big of a deal compared with other drugs. Alcohol, which is more addictive, causes much more crime. Tobacco causes many more deaths. [continues 128 words]
YAKIMA, Wash. - The Yakima City Council has decided to support efforts to seek state tax revenue raised from marijuana sales. The council made the decision Friday following a hectic 48 hours in which Mayor Micah Cawley's signature accidentally appeared on a letter from other mayors statewide supporting the measure, even though the entire council hadn't heard the proposal. Friday's special meeting was called specifically to address the issue. Some council members initially planned to object to the proposal but voted unanimously to support it after they heard arguments from city staff and police that legalized marijuana will strain public resources. [continues 579 words]
To the editor - I would like to respond to the writer of the Feb. 13 letter to the editor, "Marijuana could help Yakima," regarding the recreational use of marijuana. Just because a vice makes money, doesn't make it moral. If we use the logic that writer uses, the state might as well legalize prostitution. Our community could really benefit financially if Yakima operated legal "cat houses." After all, it makes the "customers" happy, provides income for the ladies and is a real cash cow for the pimps. Think of the profits! Never mind the number of lives it destroys. [continues 86 words]
Yakima, Washington - Support for Yakima's proposed ban on marijuana businesses may not be as certain as it once seemed. Persuaded by impassioned arguments for and against, the city's Planning Commission unanimously voted Wednesday to table the issue for further discussion next week. The commission was widely expected on Wednesday to recommend the City Council approve the ban. "Because this is such a difficult issue and because there are so many valid arguments, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable voting on either side of this issue," Commissioner Scott Clark said as the board discussed whether to call a vote following public testimony. [continues 749 words]
YAKIMA, Wash. - As Yakima city and county officials determine how best to prevent marijuana retail sales from happening in Yakima, a nationally recognized legalization opponent Tuesday encouraged officials to use bans, zoning and moratoriums to keep the newly legal drug out. Kevin Sabet, drug policy director at the University of Florida's College of Medicine and a former adviser to the Obama administration, had to appear via Skype because his flight from Seattle was canceled. But that didn't faze the 70-odd community leaders and Safe Yakima Valley Coalition members gathered in the Yakima Valley Hotel & Conference Center. Sheriff Ken Irwin and County Commissioners Mike Leita and Kevin Bouchey were among those in attendance. [continues 497 words]
To the editor - I personally find it very hypocritical that the Yakima City Council has decided to ban the manufacture, distribution and sale of recreational marijuana within the city limits. The reason it's hypocritical is because one of the major tourist draws to our area and city is alcohol. Go into any grocery store or mini-market and you can find all kinds of booze, from hard liquor to beer to wine. We see signs on street lights going down Yakima Avenue that say "Wine Country." [continues 121 words]
As Washington state moves forward on rolling out recreational marijuana regulations, the Yakama Nation has decided not to join in legalization efforts. Marijuana remains illegal on the 1.2 million-acre reservation, said George Colby, an attorney representing the Yakama Nation. Under the tribe's treaty, he said, the citizens of Washington lack the authority to legalize recreational use on tribal lands. "We want to put out public information for those that want to grow, sell and distribute that they are not welcome on Yakama Nation lands," Colby said last week. [continues 376 words]
Initiative 502, the marijuana-legalization measure that Washington state voters approved last November, spelled out a number of ways to implement what is now the law. For example, I-502 sets up a three-tier system of marijuana producer, processor and retailer; determines taxes to be collected at each level; defines limits on possession amounts and thresholds for intoxication; and so on. That the measure was relatively tightly drawn, especially compared with a legalization initiative in Oregon last fall, is one reason why it passed here but failed down there. [continues 622 words]
In many ways, the ballot measure that seeks to legalize the production, possession, delivery and distribution of marijuana walks a middle ground in the terrain of controlled-substance use and abuse. Voter approval of Initiative 502 would put Washington state in the forefront of efforts to revamp society's approach to drug laws. The question is whether, middle ground or no, we should be stepping onto this turf to begin with. We believe not. The Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board urges a "no" vote on Initiative 502. [continues 559 words]
YAKIMA, Wash. - Depending on who you ask, Initiative 502 will either sap drug cartels of their lifeblood, do away with draconian drug policies and create a new revenue source for the state. Or it will open floodgates in schools and communities to a harmful drug. The initiative, which is on the ballot for the Nov. 6 general election, would legalize recreational use of marijuana in Washington. It would not affect federal laws, which would still consider marijuana to be illegal. "This is not a measure that proposes using marijuana is a good thing," said Alison Holcomb, campaign director for New Approach Washington. [continues 518 words]
