I just received news that the bill may die in the Public Safety committee hearing thanks to Al O'Brien, a democrat and former police officer. He wants to vote against the bill so we all need to tell him that his decision is not acceptable.
O'Brien is the key to this bill's survival, he is a democrat, let him know what you think.
Here is the email I sent O'Brien, all of you may feel free to personalize it and email it to him:
His email is:
obrien.al@leg.wa.gov
Phone: (360) 786-7928 Toll-free Hotline: 1-800-562-6000
Dear Mr. O'Brien,
My name is
_, I am _ years old, I am a
__, and I am a resident of Washington State. I am writing to you because it has been recently announced that State Representative's Mary Lou Dickerson and Roger Goodman have introduced a bill that would potentially make cannabis or marijuana a legal and taxable commodity. I would like you to know that I am in full support of this bill and the legalization of cannabis in our state.
The Bill is HB 2401, and I am sure that you are already aware of it. In fact, you may even have a hand in this bills ultimate success or failure in just a few days time. Please sir, I urge you to support this bill. As a former law enforcement officer, you must be intimately aware of the lack of danger posed by cannabis when compared with other substances, including legal substances such as alcohol. As of right now, the only danger posed by cannabis is due in part to the fact that it is illegal and thus a valuable substance. If that monetary incentive were taken away by legalizing the substance, the incentive to do engage in reckless and dangerous behavior in order to sell cannabis on the black market would also be taken away. By legalizing cannabis, we can take a bite out of crime by eliminating the income source for many participants in organized crime, and thus undermine their footing in high risk neighborhoods.
There are many reasons to legalize cannabis, which I have outlined below, however one stands out to me in particular, and I will share it with you now. What most don't realize is that despite our very harsh laws against cannabis use in the United States, we have some of the highest instances of high school-aged use in the entire world. Nearly 1 in 2 high school students use, or have used cannabis, in comparison, only 9% of high school students in the Netherlands have used or use cannabis. As I am sure you are aware, cannabis is decriminalized in the Netherlands, and comprises a veritable cottage industry.
There is a way that we can reduce the number of underage cannabis users in our state; we can legalize cannabis. How will this work? It is simple, a drug dealer selling cannabis (or marijuana) does not ask for ID, nor does he or she care about how old the recipient is. The drug dealer's only concern is whether or not the individual has the money to by the drug. If cannabis were legal, and sold through state run liquor stores, individuals would be required to furnish proof of age, and there would be no financial incentive to sell to underage buyers as the liquor store attendant would be salaried, or at least earn an hourly wage that they would stand to lose if they were to sell to a minor. If you are not convinced that this would effectively reduce the number of high school-age cannabis users, simply compare the number instances of under-age cannabis use, vs. instances of underage alcohol use, and I believe that you will see that state control is an effective way to prevent underage use.
If economic recovery is your goal, than surely you must support the legalization and taxation of cannabis, as it will generate a generous amount of revenue that the state of Washington desperately needs. Not only would the legalization of cannabis generate revenue, it would also prevent revenue from being wasted on the investigations, arrests, prosecutions, and imprisonments of the plethora of citizens within our state who choose to indulge in this remarkably inert substance (when compared with alcohol or tobacco).
Furthermore, if ensuring that our school system remains one of the best in the state and the nation is your goal, you must also support this bill for the revenue it will generate will pay for better educations for our children. Not only that, the extra revenue will also allow for intensive drug education programs that explain dangers of more dangerous and lethal drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin/opiates, and alcohol, while emphasizing why cannabis is a substance that requires the experience and discipline that is acquired through becoming an adult in order to be enjoyed responsibly.
Finally, if generating new jobs is your goal, than surely you must see the benefit of allowing for a new industry to bloom within our state. There are thousands of uses for hemp and cannabis as a medicinal substance, a recreational substance, and as an industrial resource. Citizens from all walks of life and from all areas of our state would benefit significantly by the new jobs that would doubtlessly be created by legalizing cannabis. We need jobs.
In conclusion I would just like to note that you were elected because your voters felt that you had within you the capacity to make intelligent, informed, and level headed decisions that would benefit everyone in our state. This is your opportunity to prove that you are in fact capable of this not only to me, but also to everyone in our state. Please do not let us down. I await your reply.
Sincerely,
