The Highs And Lows Of Legalizing Pot In Washington
In 2012 Washington voters’ approved Initiative 502. Passage of the measure set in place a licensing and regulation scheme and rescinded state laws criminalizing recreational marijuana use and possession. It legalized the production, sale and taxation of small amounts of marijuana-related products for adults 21 and over.
In this episode of Speakers Forum we’ll hear about the myriad details entailed in implementing 502. Not surprisingly there have been rough spots, but overall the transition is moving ahead according to plan. By the end of 2014 approximately 100 stores and 320 growers had been licensed in the state.
But questions remain. What if the federal government changes its current laissez-faire attitude toward legalization? Do counties have the right to ban sales and grow operations? And what’s being done to enforce DUI laws and manage medical marijuana distribution?
Last month Seattle University invited Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes to talk about how the rollout of 502 is going. The event was moderated by Seattle journalist and host of Civic Cocktail, Joni Balter, and Seattle University's Institute of Public Service Director, Larry Hubbell.
This event took place at the SU Student Center on Jan. 28. Thanks to Anna Tatistcheff for this recording.
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John O'Brien
Senior Producer, All Things Considered
John O’Brien is KUOW's All Things Considered Senior Producer. He spends his days setting up interviews with newsmakers on subjects from politics and public health to arts and culture. John learned to make radio starting in 2006 as an intern on KUOW’s The Conversation with Ross Reynolds.
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