Should Marijuana Laws In Washington be More Lenient

Q13 FOX News Online Staff

February 10, 2009

The Washington Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday morning on Senate Bill 5615, a bill that would reclassify possession of small amounts of marijuana from a misdemeanor, carrying mandatory jail time, to a civil infraction and a $100 dollar fine.

According to the Washington A.C.L.U., In 2007, enforcement of Washington laws for possession of marijuana resulted in over 11,000 arrests, 3,600 convictions (with an average sentence of four days in jail), and cost an estimated $7.5 million dollars.

The A.C.L.U. says it supports Senate Bill 5615 sponsored by Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles.

Alison Holcomb with the A.C.L.U. says: "We don't believe adults who use small quantities of marijuana for personal use should be treated as criminals."

Some Washington police officials see it differently.

Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer says he fears, if passed, this could open the door to further legalization and he says he doesn't want to make the drug more attractive than it may already be.

He goes on to says; "People might have a tendency to say well it's not going to be a criminal offense. It's not going to affect my job... It's not going to affect anything else involving what a criminal matter would and so why don't I try it... And I don't want to do that."

The Senate hearing starts Tuesday morning at 10am in Senate Hearing Room 1 of the J.A. Cherberg Building at the State Capitol.




So they are thinking that not wearing your seat-belt is bigger deal than possessing a controlled substance? Not that I have a problem with pot smokers, but I am not sure I agree with that one.

No issues with legalizing it entirely.

MJ laws go way back and were instituted in a racially motivated way. Pretty scary when you actually read up on it. Control it, tax it, heck sell it in liquor stores. Seriously, more damage is done by alcohol than pot every year.

In my limited experience in law enforcement, I never ran into any death, accident, fight, etc, that was MJ related. Alcohol was a completly different issue altogether.

Okay, other than a slap fight....

Let's leave M J out of this one.

+1

Quit smoking weed when Fairbanks caught me out on the Hoh.One day in jail and 700 dollars later I was done saying I am sorry.

As I said, I really don't have a problem with pot smokers,,, but I think it is stupid that the fine for a seatbelt violation is more than the proposed fine for possession of a controlled substance. Guess it is all about economics and the states willingness to screw the common person.

i like to smoke pot while not wearing my seat belt

i like to smoke pot while not wearing my seat belt, with a open cold one and talking on my cell.

now your talkin!!

Don't forget the hummer yer gettin' at the same time...you'll have to hold the pinner and beer in the same hand, not a problem.

Fish on...

Todd

or if you are friends with them and they want to eat your cheese its

Road head...more dangerous than all intox's combine...those were the days lol

Not wearing your seat belt is far more dangerous than smoking pot, unless you're talking about smoking pot while driving. A lot of people have a bad case of mind f^vk about pot. No one ever died from smoking pot, but they can do serious jail time for it. People die every day from using tobacco and alcohol, and it's perfectly legal. Talk about a screwed up legal system.

Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer is a perfect example of a f^vked up mind when it comes to pot, or maybe pot enforcement is a big part of his police budget and he cares more about the $ than he does about serving society.

Want to make 50% of all drug problems go away? Legalize pot. Legalize it completely. Don't tax it. Don't regulate it. Prices will decline. Use will go up somewhat. And the economy will benefit from the run on dry Cheerios, Fritos, and now Cheez its.

Sg

So,,, pot doesn't cause or contribute to lung cancer the same as tobacco?

I have no problem with them making this a non jailable offense. I think the fine should be a lot more than a seatbelt ticket.

i am really craving some cheese its right now. i was told weed doesnt contain carcinogenics. of course that came from my grower, so who knows...

Most pot smokers don't inhale nearly so much smoke at tobacco smokers, and as far as studied pot doesn't cause lung cancer; no nicotine either.

Why should pot use be fined at all, let alone more than not using a selt belt? Altho personally I don't believe in the seat belt fine either. I believe in seat belts, but not the law fining people for non use.

Sg

Legalize pot? I don't think so, can you imagine what this country would look like after being ravaged by millions of hunger crazed food addicts?

not everyone gets the munchies, especially if they have been smoking for a while....the world would be a much happier place i think.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that there are several of the same carsinogenic chemicals in pot smoke that there are in tobacco smoke. Not to mention several that aren't in tobacco. I know poeple who smoke pot several times a day. I don't see how tobacco could be more evil than pot to a person like that.

Salmo, fundamentaly I agree with you. I am against any law (with in reason) that limits my freedom. I think the part that really chapps my hide is all the effort this state puts into the whole "click it or ticket" fundraisers. As I said before the pot thing really doesn't bother me that much. But sending officers out to look in my car to see that I am strapped in, is in my opinion an invasion of my privacy.