The gallery was full in the Bellingham City Council chambers Saturday for a discussion of statewide ballot measures that will appear on the Nov. 6 docket. The forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County, touched on three of the state's most hotly contested issues: marijuana (I-502), charter schools (I-1240) and marriage equality (Ref. 74). Initiative 502 League member Jill Bernstein moderated dueling speakers on Initiative Measure No. 502, which would legalize state-licensed marijuana for those over 21 years of age. [continues 1129 words]
Washington State Lawmakers Sent a Letter to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to Reclassify Marijuana's Drug Status So It Can Be Used for Medical Purposes on Jan. 30. Mitchell Moquin, a local artist and activist, has been using marijuana medically for one year. He believes it should be legalized for medical purposes only. "Cannabis is critical for patients who are looking for a more alternative method," Moquin said. Under the Controlled Substances Act (1970), marijuana is currently listed as a Schedule I substance. [continues 254 words]
A bill that would legalize nonprofit patient cooperatives for medical marijuana users and create a registry of those users in Washington state did not receive enough votes Friday, May 20 to pass through the Senate Ways and Means Committee. In April, Gov. Chris Gregoire legalized collective gardens for medical marijuana users who could not grow their own plants. But, she vetoed portions of the bill that provided arrest protection for marijuana users registered with the Department of Health, and for those who registered or licensed a dispensary. [continues 133 words]
Just two weeks ago, a bill was rejected in the Washington state House that would have moved us one step closer to becoming the first and only state to legalize and regulate the production, distribution and sale of marijuana. The plan was to sell marijuana in state-regulated liquor stores to those older than 21, regulate it and give it a 15 percent tax. If the bill passed, an estimated $304 million would have been generated for the state government in one year - money that would have been more useful now than ever. [continues 482 words]
The April 11 revision of the medical marijuana bill, which extended some provisions and detracted others, paired the strong potential for an initiative for the November 2011 ballot that would legalize pot. According to Sensible Washington, a grassroots organization that promotes legalization, 52 percent of the state's population is in favor of legalizing marijuana. Washington would be one of the first states to decriminalize marijuana. If the drug becomes legal, some wonder if Washington will risk losing much needed federal funding, as the drug will remain illegal under federal law. On April 15, Gov. Chris Gregoire announced she wouldn't sign any legislation allowing the operation of licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. She made the announcement after receiving notice from the Department of Justice that doing so would result in the federal government seeking out expansive legal action on marijuana operations in Washington. [continues 262 words]
The Newest Medical Marijuana Dispensary in Whatcom County Had a Window Smashed and Was Burglarized After Being Open for Just Over a Week. All four suspects who broke into the Northern Cross medical marijuana co-op on Sunday, April 10, were caught on camera and have been identified, said Martin Nickerson, owner of Northern Cross. He plans to hand over the tapes to the police and said he will be pressing charges on the individuals responsible for the break-in. Northern Cross opened April 1 and is the first and only brick and mortar pick-up prescription medical marijuana dispensary in Whatcom County. [continues 422 words]
Dear Editor of the Western Front, Another reason to RE-legalize and regulate the relatively safe, God-given plant cannabis (marijuana) that doesn't get mentioned (Editorial: Marijuana Needs Legalization, Regulation, Mar. 2, 2010), is because it is Biblically correct since Christ God Our Father, The Ecologician, indicates He created all the seed-bearing plants, saying they are all good, on literally the very first page (Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30). The only Biblical restriction placed on cannabis is that it is to be accepted with thankfulness (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). Truthfully, Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
According to a recent Associated Press article, gang-controlled marijuana farms are increasing in number and sophistication throughout the U.S. The March 1 article states that Mexican gangs have taken over these mass marijuana-growing operations. It also states the gangs are extorting and threatening migrant laborers in order to secure a cheap labor force. There are two major problems with this article. First, it throws down the broad accusation that Mexican gangs are solely responsible for the increase in the marijuana trade. It fails to examine any other groups involved in marijuana drug-trafficking. Secondly, it fails to propose any solutions to an increase in drug trafficking. [continues 291 words]
University of Washington (UW) lecturer and former police sergeant Dr. Jonathan Wender will host a free lecture titled "The American Drug Policy: The Great Contradiction," at 7 p.m. April 9 in the Viking Union multipurpose room. The lecture is presented by Associated Student Productions (ASP) Civil Controversy, the Legal Information Center and the Drug Information Center. Prior to becoming a lecturer at UW, Wender was a Seattle police sergeant who was fired in 2005 for his outspoken opinions in favor of the decriminalization of marijuana and reforms in the United States' War on Drugs, such as mandatory minimum prison sentences. [continues 783 words]
Travel aficionado Rick Steves will receive another memorable stamp in his passport Friday, Oct. 24, as he speaks at Western for the first time. Steves has explored the ends of the globe over the last few decades, writing 30 guidebooks along the way, and he will now pass along his tips of traveling smart and packing light to students and Bellingham residents. Steves will be leading lectures at three different venues throughout the afternoon and evening, discussing topics from how to travel on a budget, to the problems with the American drug policy on marijuana. [continues 731 words]
Students Build Six-Foot Replica Of Smoking Pipe A politically-motivated, six-foot-tall bong pipe is not something most Western students would normally find in the center of Red Square, or anywhere for that matter. Members of the WWU Libertarians club will protest by displaying the bong pipe from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday in Red Square to show their support for the fight to legalize marijuana. Graduate student and club member Hannah Pendergrast said the club members hope to inspire students to discuss the war on drugs and aren't condoning marijuana use. The bong is to gain students' attention, she said. [continues 364 words]
I'm writing about: "Former police chief advocates legal drugs" (11-22-05). I'd like to add that many judges and prison wardens have said that 70 to 80 percent of all property crime and violent crime is "drug-related." Actually almost 100 percent of all so-called "drug-related crime" is caused by drug prohibition policies - not drugs. When Coca-Cola contained cocaine instead of caffeine and sold for 5 cents a bottle, the term "drug-related crime" didn't exist. Neither did drug lords, drug cartels or even drug dealers as we know them today. [continues 111 words]
Stamper Said Legalization Cuts Money for Organized Crime Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper advocated the decriminalization of drugs in a speech before a packed audience Wednesday in Arntzen Hall 4. Western sociology professor Ron Helms, who said he organized the event to expose the community to a controversial viewpoint, introduced Stamper to the audience. "When I see opportunities to bring people in who can offer insight and thereby stimulate public discourse on policy, I jump in," Helms said. The reasoning for decriminalizing drugs, Stamper said, comes from the largely ineffective war on drugs the Nixon administration started in 1971. [continues 542 words]
