Hundreds pack Seattle City Hall to talk legal marijuana
SEATTLE -- Voters thought checking "yes" on Initiative 502 would quickly legalize marijuana, but more than two months after it passed, plenty of red tape stands between the public and easy access to their green.
The state wants to have stores licensed and ready for business by Dec. 1. But to get there, they are opening up bidding for consultants to show them how the pot business is done.
State officials also announced plans to hire a "pot czar" with a minimum salary of $80,000.
The swords have become plowshares.
"It's a very emotional thing for me. It's been a war for 40 years. The war's over. We won. We won," said John Escola.
The marijuana supporter was part of hundreds who jammed Seattle's City Hall Thursday evening for the second meeting with the Liquor Control Board. By law, the board must regulate marijuana like alcohol.
"Think of it in the same kind of way when it comes to marijuana. You're going to have marijuana-only stores. We'll be going in there and checking out those types of things. We'll be checking out growth operations," said board member Brian Smith.
The state will bid out to consultants to help with market research and also do third party testing for quality.
Prices are expected to hover around $12 to $15 a gram including state taxes -- about $340 an ounce.
It is a new world when bureaucrats are regulating something that was illegal just three months ago.
The Liquor Control Board will continue holding meeting across the state through next month.
The state wants to have stores licensed and ready for business by Dec. 1. But to get there, they are opening up bidding for consultants to show them how the pot business is done.
State officials also announced plans to hire a "pot czar" with a minimum salary of $80,000.
The swords have become plowshares.
"It's a very emotional thing for me. It's been a war for 40 years. The war's over. We won. We won," said John Escola.
The marijuana supporter was part of hundreds who jammed Seattle's City Hall Thursday evening for the second meeting with the Liquor Control Board. By law, the board must regulate marijuana like alcohol.
"Think of it in the same kind of way when it comes to marijuana. You're going to have marijuana-only stores. We'll be going in there and checking out those types of things. We'll be checking out growth operations," said board member Brian Smith.
The state will bid out to consultants to help with market research and also do third party testing for quality.
Prices are expected to hover around $12 to $15 a gram including state taxes -- about $340 an ounce.
It is a new world when bureaucrats are regulating something that was illegal just three months ago.
The Liquor Control Board will continue holding meeting across the state through next month.
This is going to take some time. I think they need to start with the already licensed medical pot sellers. Improve supply to them for starters, while you start your ground up supply and regulatory processes. Subsidize those sellers and their suppliers in order for the price to be put at below street levels. Subsidize start-up growers who can get the product onto the shelves and regulate them just like any niche product out there. Look at regulating organic foods, or naturopathic therapyâs and products; those were a cluster-F when they first emerged. The State could do this if they weren't afraid of possible federal repercussions. Maybe do some research on the last few months and years of prohibition, in which states were getting back into the alcohol business, even before the 21st amendment.
That room looks a little smokey to me, I wonder why???
Everyone previously arrested for pot possession needs to file a claim in district court for Drug War Reparations. Taking back our country involves more than just legalization. We must hurt them in their pocketbooks so they never again create laws that intrude on our personal liberties.
@Mike (Outlaw) Wales Hurting "them" is the same thing as hurting every tax payer. "Them" gets their money from tax payers. If you are hurting "them", you are indirectly hurting yourself and every other tax payer.
 @Mike (Outlaw) Wales Hurt who? The same Tax payers that voted yes to legalize it? That's the problem with our society everyone is in such a hurry to sue.Â
YOU FREEKS OF NATUREÂ Â NEEEDÂ TOÂ LEARN TO DRINK LIKE EVERY ONE ELES DOES AND NOT BREAK LAWS
 @SUN_RUNNER @EXCUSE ME! I believe you are a total PHUCK NUT! Do some   research before you make IGNORANT comments!
  Alcohol is no less than 95% WORSE than ANY Marijuana EVER GROWN!!!! just spend   a little time educating yourself PLEASE!
  And of course,  You read in the "NEWS" that someone was Killed by a "Stoned" driver     this Weekend, Right?  Or, a "Stoner" beat and Robbed someone!  Or, a Person on       Marijuana beat someone to death for  "insert reason"!, STFU or at least make an         "Educated" comment  against Marijuana!
Ohhhh, This is choice. Look at all the poeple in suits and ties sitting there wondering if they can have their pot. This is sweet. Only in America.
 @Common SenseÂ
 @SUN_RUNNER @EXCUSE ME! I believe you are a total PHUCK NUT! Do some   research before you make IGNORANT comments!  Alcohol is no less than 95% WORSE than ANY  Marijuana EVER GROWN!!!! just spend   a little time educating yourself PLEASE! And of course,  You read in the "NEWS" that someone was Killed by a "Stoned" driver this Weekend, Right?  Or, a "Stoner" beat and Robbed someone!  Or, a Person on Marijuana beat someone to death for  "insert reason"!, STFU or at least make an "Educated" comment  against Marijuana!
lol @ all them pot smoking losers (in my day we called em "dope heads" because they were always dopey on weed). Well,.....I have to tell myself, at least they aint running all bug eyed on psychotic drugs playing 1st person shooter in some elementary school. Weed is relatively safe like that.....
Hundreds pack meeting..Hundreds forget where they parked....
At $12-15 a gram the black market will flourish, Craigslist has it everywhere for $5-6 a gram..
Goodluck State of WA
@Canyon Park Pimp You're right on this one. If you can buy from the black market cheaper, what is the incentive to pay more?
 @robmo   Easier access to higher quality weed and more choices would be my guess. I guess we will see when it comes to pass.Â
Booze is so high priced in this state that Oregon's alcohol sales went through the friggin roof when that law was implemented. But at least Costco didn't have any unselfish motives right? Suckers.
a pot zcar you damned commies
Haha and they still say that pot doesn't kill brain cells.
 @todaysnews I has not been proven to do so. Pot heads aren't stupid because they smoke pot, they are stupid because they smoke pot and don't do anything.
 @Jalharad  @todaysnews Pot smokers have not, as a group, been proven to not "do anything" aka be lazy, it's just another stereotype perpetuated by the media and the ignorant. Sure, we all know of a few low-energy "stoners," but I would wager that the majority of pot smokers are upstanding citizens who work and pay taxes and plant carrots and knit sweaters.
 @Glen  @spacegoddess  @Jill  @Jalharad  @todaysnews OMG, You should be totally ashamed of yourself! You're the one that ate the last OREO cookie! How could you!!!  And I will NEVER forgive you for taking the last bag of Dorito's! Damn you Glen, What were you thinking?
 @spacegoddess  @Jill  @Jalharad  @todaysnews I agree. A friend of mines parents, both bank execs. smoke pot everyday, and continue to have flourishing careers. They have never once had a problem, and raised three successful children in the process. I don't smoke it anymore, but I'm all for legalizing it. I think the worst thing I ever did while smoking pot is getting the munchies and eating them out of house and home.Â
 @Jill  @Jalharad  @todaysnews I used to manage a restaurant and smoked pot every day. I can't work anymore due to debilitating pain and illness (even with the pot), but if I could, I'd be out there earning a living and helping out my family and contributing to society. My ex was the IT manager at a good-sized company in Seattle and he also smoked every day. There are plenty of stereotypes out there because, frankly, the easiest pot heads to smoke are the lazy ones who are out in public high a lot, or couch-surfing at friends' and relatives' houses, or being otherwise obvious/easy-to-spot as a lazy pot-head. But those aren't the majority of them, just the most obvious cases for the lazy pot-head stereotype.
well lets think now......the state has lost money on alcohol sales for how long?
yet this time actual revenue will be generated that will save the tax payers money?
@fourwalles Actually they made money ($300 million) and hundreds were employed. Now thanks to idiot voters, hundreds are out of work and you pay more for booze.
$340 an ounce....why the hell would anyone pay that when you can get it on the street for $200?.....
 @fourwalles if they got the price wrong then its all wrong
@fourwalles Seriously, one of the main motovating factors in my voting to pass this legislation was to take the money out of the hands of the "bad guys". When the state prices this so much higher than the market, they are doing exactly the reverse.
@fourwalles So I don't have to incur all of the risks of buying it on the street. I would prefer the state wise up and price it accordingly however I am willing to pay more to avoid the black market.
 @floggingnotblogging  @fourwalles Yeah, not so much so!  Do you shop at Walmart or Costco ? Just to save a buck or two?
 @floggingnotblogging  @fourwalles you are the cause of these high prices. 4 walls is right the price should be 20 per oz. there will be price wars wait and see
 @fourwalles Thank you
 @fourwalles Like with any business the government will have to compete with illegal pot growers. if they lower their price people will buy it. If not they will spend more money than they bring in just trying to seek out the illegal competition.Â
@fourwalles I was kinda hoping for a reemergence of the $10 lid.
@fourwalles And now you know why this will be a total failure and more money will be spent by law enforcement hunting down tax cheats then they did a few illegal grows.Â
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Yep, it'll turn out like total failure when Costco bought all those votes over booze.