This Washington
We're (Probably) Going to Vote on Pot
State secretary of state Sam Reed certified Initiative 502, which would decriminalize marijuana possession, this afternoon, confirming that supporters of the proposal had more than enough valid signatures to put their initiative on the November ballot.
The secretary of state concluded that the measure had at least 278,000 valid signatures---well over the 241,153 required to put pot legalization to a vote.
Because I-502 is an initiative to the legislature, legislators can choose to pass it as is, either reject or ignore it and let it go to the ballot, or place it on the ballot with their own alternative.
Supporters of the proposal submitted more than 350,000 signatures.
The timing of the vote, assuming the legislature does not simply decide to legalize pot on its own, will be interesting---and potentially problematic for Republican AG Rob McKenna, who's running for governor. In one likely scenario, McKenna will end up sharing the ballot with both pot legalization and gay marriage---a tough position for a conservative Republican, particularly one who has explicitly said he opposes marriage equality.
McKenna has said in the past that he opposes legalization. His Democratic opponent, US Rep. Jay Inslee (D-1), has not taken a position, saying only that he's "not there" on legalization.
The secretary of state concluded that the measure had at least 278,000 valid signatures---well over the 241,153 required to put pot legalization to a vote.
Because I-502 is an initiative to the legislature, legislators can choose to pass it as is, either reject or ignore it and let it go to the ballot, or place it on the ballot with their own alternative.
Supporters of the proposal submitted more than 350,000 signatures.
The timing of the vote, assuming the legislature does not simply decide to legalize pot on its own, will be interesting---and potentially problematic for Republican AG Rob McKenna, who's running for governor. In one likely scenario, McKenna will end up sharing the ballot with both pot legalization and gay marriage---a tough position for a conservative Republican, particularly one who has explicitly said he opposes marriage equality.
McKenna has said in the past that he opposes legalization. His Democratic opponent, US Rep. Jay Inslee (D-1), has not taken a position, saying only that he's "not there" on legalization.
