Gov. Gregoire meeting with feds over marijuana law
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Gov. Chris Gregoire will meet with Deputy Attorney General James Cole on Tuesday to discuss the state's recent passage of a measure to legalize and tax the sale of marijuana for recreational use.
Gregoire spokesman Cory Curtis said Monday that the meeting was added to a slate the governor had already scheduled in Washington, D.C., on other state matters. But on the issue of marijuana, Curtis said Gregoire wanted to meet with federal officials because "we want direction from them."
"Our goal is to respect the will of the voters, but give us some clarity," he said.
Initiative 502 passed with 55 percent of the vote last week. The measure decriminalizes the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana beginning Dec. 6, but the state has a year to come up with rules governing the state-licensed growing, processing and labeling of pot before sales to adults over 21 can begin. It also establishes a standard blood test limit for driving under the influence.
Home-growing marijuana for recreational reasons remains barred, as does the public display or use of pot.
Colorado also passed a measure legalizing the drug. Colorado's governor and attorney general spoke by phone Friday with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, with no signal whether the U.S. Justice Department would sue to block the marijuana measure.
If Colorado's marijuana ballot measure is not blocked, it would take effect by Jan. 5, the deadline for the governor to add the amendment to the state constitution. The measure allows adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, and six marijuana plants, though public use of the drug and driving while intoxicated are prohibited.
Colorado's measure also directs lawmakers to write regulations on how pot can be sold, with commercial sales possible by 2014.
Gregoire went to D.C. on Monday for a meeting with the Council of Governors and Army Lt. Gen. Frank Grass at the Pentagon to discuss National Guard issues, and for another meeting with Energy Secretary Steven Chu to discuss plans to deal with a leak at a large, double-walled tank of waste at Hanford, the nation's most contaminated nuclear site.
Curtis said that the meeting with Cole was added to her schedule on Monday.
"Our biggest concern is that the state has a fairly big startup cost in creating the whole licensing and regulating scheme around this," he said. "We want some sort of clarity on this before we get a year down the road on the process."
Gregoire will return to Washington state on Tuesday night.
Gregoire spokesman Cory Curtis said Monday that the meeting was added to a slate the governor had already scheduled in Washington, D.C., on other state matters. But on the issue of marijuana, Curtis said Gregoire wanted to meet with federal officials because "we want direction from them."
"Our goal is to respect the will of the voters, but give us some clarity," he said.
Initiative 502 passed with 55 percent of the vote last week. The measure decriminalizes the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana beginning Dec. 6, but the state has a year to come up with rules governing the state-licensed growing, processing and labeling of pot before sales to adults over 21 can begin. It also establishes a standard blood test limit for driving under the influence.
Home-growing marijuana for recreational reasons remains barred, as does the public display or use of pot.
Colorado also passed a measure legalizing the drug. Colorado's governor and attorney general spoke by phone Friday with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, with no signal whether the U.S. Justice Department would sue to block the marijuana measure.
If Colorado's marijuana ballot measure is not blocked, it would take effect by Jan. 5, the deadline for the governor to add the amendment to the state constitution. The measure allows adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, and six marijuana plants, though public use of the drug and driving while intoxicated are prohibited.
Colorado's measure also directs lawmakers to write regulations on how pot can be sold, with commercial sales possible by 2014.
Gregoire went to D.C. on Monday for a meeting with the Council of Governors and Army Lt. Gen. Frank Grass at the Pentagon to discuss National Guard issues, and for another meeting with Energy Secretary Steven Chu to discuss plans to deal with a leak at a large, double-walled tank of waste at Hanford, the nation's most contaminated nuclear site.
Curtis said that the meeting with Cole was added to her schedule on Monday.
"Our biggest concern is that the state has a fairly big startup cost in creating the whole licensing and regulating scheme around this," he said. "We want some sort of clarity on this before we get a year down the road on the process."
Gregoire will return to Washington state on Tuesday night.
When I first read the headline it sounded right, you know pass a bowl and relax, but then I reread it and saw I had missed the last word âlawâ. ;~}Â
All to be talked about over a couple of cocktails......... These rednecks will screw this up one way or another.
Missing is the most important part of this. a person that wants\needs marijuana should be able to grow up to 6 plants to fill the need. Relying on the state to "Procure", tax and sell pot is never going to happen. just like alcohol you can brew in your own home 200 gallons a year. You should be able to grow pot, not be dependent on some "expert" state grower that grows kansas nohigh.
This law is a joke. Â I support the general idea but the specifics are not well thought out. Â If you read the tax structure, basically the only people that would be competitive are large growers, ones large enough to also be a retail outlet (so they don't get hit with the 25% tax twice). Â Now think about this. Â What large business is going to file a state tax return where they claim, in writing, that they have done what amounts to a felony under federal law? Â Think about that. Â They would be admitting to a federal felony, in writing, just by following this law. Â Might be something Gregoire is chatting about. Â She's a crappy governor but a very good attorney, I am sure she understands this.
 @RS Actually that isnt true........The law states that a grower can have no business relationship with a retailer......They cannot be one in the same.......this forces the tax structure they are implementing. I dont disagree with your other statements though, I think it would have been smarter to encourage smaller operations myself.
Seattledam. Amstersea? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CHXB8ZlAzM
The dropping of arrest cases is sure making life good for a lot of people. I hope it continues, it might have a domino effect. That or a LOT of people in other states are going to move here, if we can keep it going.
Washington, you are retarded.....
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Marijuana is awesome but it shouldn't have been legalized.. now the damn state has control....  SOOO SAD..
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Is it just me or does anyone else find it amusing that the story right below this one has to do with Top Pot Donuts opening in Renton?
http://renton.komonews.com/news/business/799101-top-pot-doughnuts-moving-landing
if anyone can screw it up...... Gregoire is your man..... oooops woman
 @ufrigginkiddin Unless she gets paid, then she makes it happen.  See 'Profit Sharing Indian Casinos' and Tribal Campaign donations to Gregoire
With President Obama back in office chances are slim to none that anything by the feds will be done any time soon...
Some County's in Washington State have already started dropping charge's for marijuana offense's. If the federal government sues to block this new law will these counties half to reimburse the feds for fines, and fee's not paid by offenders?
 @Seahawk64 Why would they? They were arrested under state laws not federal ones, the laws that were broken were our own. If the Feds want them, they would have to arrest them under federal charges......and that would be a waste of their time and money, they have already stated in the opinion paper that they will not pursue the individual user or the small time grower.
 @Susabelle  @Seahawk64 "they have already stated in the opinion paper that they will not pursue the individual user or the small time grower"
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For medical pot use, that is correct. I'm not sure they have issued any opinion on the recreational use and distribution thereof.
Reefer Madness all over again. Can't wait till Canada and Mexico decide to join the show.
God help us all.
I don't blame the feds for keeping it schedule one until they can figure out how to cash in on their patents for treatment for Alzheimer's. I would do the same thing. So would any patent holder who went to so much trouble as to get a patent like that.
Wouldn't "direction" be the existing federal law? Â Oh, that's right. Â This President does not believe in law enforcement. Â Orders ICE and Border Patrol to stop; allows gun running; and now, will tell us what drugs he may or not enforce.
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Give me back America. Â Change the laws - but enforce the laws you have.
 @sentryone You are incorrect in your understanding of the law. The controlled substances act does NOT state that pot is illegal. What it does is outline various categories (schedules) of drugs and then outlines the penalties for those categories. The DEA, HSS and others may assign different drugs to different schedules as they wish, following certain guidelines of course.
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In other words, without changing ANY existing law, the feds under purely executive branch authority can remove pot from the "bad stuff" list and it is now legal. No law change is required. The law was created this way to allow flexibility like this. What if some new dangerous drug comes along? Do we need a law change to make it illegal? Thankfully, no, we just have the DEA add it to the list.
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The DEA doesn't like removing things from the list because it gives them less work to do. It would be like a security guard saying that the building is safe and doesn't need guarding.
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How will this new law effect people living in low income housing?
I think that Hanford leak should be the number one priority not dope, but that's just me. I suppose in the dope fueled happy-land things like nuclear radiation leaks are not that all important LOL
 @Larry*X*K That's the thing about priorities. It allows you to have multiple items on the list to discuss, but assigns an importance factor to each one. It doesn't mean that everything below the top priority item isn't discussed until the top priority item is resolved. That would be the least efficient way of getting things done.
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It sounds so simple..gov't makes it so complicated...
It's a tradition for the White House to serve American wines from different areas during state dinners. Â
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Perhaps Gregoire should embrace this tradition and serve the feds some killer Washington State marijuana at the Governors mansion?Â
Time to see what Greqoire is made of. See If she bows to the feds or back pedals on the issue after the people voted it in.
 @fumblefacedolt That will be a novel thought- someone bowing to Obama instead of the other way around....
 @fumblefacedolt Think.  She is there to touch base and hopefully get a job.  She's tried to get an appointment for the last 4 years.
@fumblefacedolt She'll consult with Obama and do what he wants. No need to jepardize her new cushy DC job when she is already on her way out here.
This country is out of its mind. Completely out of touch with reality. I read things like this and other articles about the legalization fight and I feel like I'm living in the Twilight Zone. I really do.Â
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This shouldn't even be a matter of discussion. It's MARIJUANA! Holy hell this country is one strange place.Â
 @jowsuf I'm sure people like you said the same thing about ALCOHOL when they were repealing prohibition of alcohol.
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 @nwbackpacker Making anything illegal that has to do with what I do with my own body is absolutely outrageous. In every way. I HOPE people like me said the same thing about alcohol prohibition.Â
 @jowsuf  @nwbackpacker The problem with the prohibition model, just like MJ is that there was no laws surrounding the sale and distribution of the product. Alcohol manufactures, sellers were actively selling and bringing people into their webs (so to speak). There were some reasons for prohibition.....but unfortunately it seemed a matter of either/or NOT moderation. So the ones for prohibition were really just trying to get the people targeting the youth and unfortunate from being victimized....and truth be told, they WERE being victimized. But there was no cry for moderation, at least not enough of one to matter. The post prohibition laws were the only ones that established drinking ages and limiting access to alcohol. I'm hoping that people will see this truth, and when it comes to MJ, the voice of reason and moderation will win out.
@jowsuf In what way? Why shouldn't this be a matter of discussion?Â
This whole thing is going to be in the courts for years and when the dust finally settles I hope the courts demand that the pseudoscience that was originally used to make it a class I drug is thrown out.
 @jcman But...but the black men...
 @Shabadoo  @jcman Right! Those "spooks" smoking some weird drug and trying to get our innocent white girls into trouble! :)
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 @Shabadoo  @jcman Yeah, and the Mexicans! (kidding)
Think it's about time for the Federal government to legalize marijuana and get to more important issues. They have already said many times that they can not win the war against it. Besides the Federal government will also be able to tax it and that sure beats spending millions every year fighting it. Hope they get a clue soon.
it a cop out like the rest of her term , just a show ,
Why is she ASKING the feds for clarity instead of TELLING the feds what the "clarity" will be on the matter?
 @georgef Um, because federal law trumps state law. Did you not take social studies in middle school?
 @LeftWing  @georgef Practically you are wrong, the state will simply stop enforcing federal law, and given how much the current admin. wants states to voluntarily comply with the ACA I doubt they'll sue.
 @LeftWing Actually, Federal law does not always trump state law. In the case of marijuana state law trumps Federal law as per the tenth amendment of the constitution which says:
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"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
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In other words, if the constitution does not give the Federal government authority over something, or prohibit the states from something, it falls upon the states and the people to make the laws. The Constitution does NOT give the Federal government authority over marijuana nor does it prohibit any state from making laws and policies regarding marijuana.
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Every time the Federal government shuts down a licensed medical marijuana dispensary or sticks its nose in the business of the states regarding marijuana they are violating the law because the constitution is the supreme law of the land.
 @Sovereign That's correct under Printz v. U.S.
 @sentryone  @Jason7784  @LeftWing States can most certainly choose to stop upholding a federal law as part of their state law. If the feds want to enforce it, they can, but they cannot force state/local law enforcement to enforce it.
 @Jason7784  @LeftWing Wrong.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzales_v._Raich
@Jason7784 @LeftWing  That was the INTENT of the Constitution but since then, it has been perverted to what we have now.
 @Jason7784  @LeftWing Incorrect application.
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Federal law is the law of the land. Â States can pass laws more strict related to the subject, but not more liberal.
@Jason7784 @LeftWing Someone needs to let the Feds in Montana in on that... http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/opinion/the-fight-over-medical-marijuana.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0