Six House Democrats want to legalize pot. Now if only they wanted to tax it enough to solve the budget shortfall, it might have a chance.
But the six House Democrats who have pre-filed a bill to legalize marijuana for those over age 21 want to use nearly all of the money raised for substance abuse treatment and prevention.
Still, the sponsors are a pretty mainstream bunch, and there has been some movement in other states to stop treating pot use and possession as a criminal offense. The six are Mary Lou Dickerson and Scott White of Seattle, Roger Goodman of Kirkland, David Upthegrove of Des Moines, Sherry Appleton of Poulsbo and Mary Helen Roberts of Lynnwood.
House Bill 2401 is 78 pages long. But most of that is to find every reference to marijuana in state law and either remove it from criminal codes or add it to liquor laws. They also would regulate the farming, production and distribution.
Peter Callaghan, The News Tribune
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