Several news outlets have picked up the story about the City of Mountlake Terrace denying a business license for a marijuana dispensery. King 5 did a story about a month ago that we posted about but in the past week the Herald, Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly have picked it up as well. Our original post has also been (by far) the most commented post on MLTnews.com so there is obviously a lot of interest and passion on both sides of this argument.
My Edmonds News reports that there will be a screening of a short film and forum about marijuana laws hosted by Edmonds’ own travel writer and TV host Rick Steves tonight at the Edmonds Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. More detail at My Edmonds News.
I attended another one of these screenings several months ago in Kirkland, hosted by Rick Steves, as well as the head of the King County Bar Association, state rep, Roger Goodman, and retired judge David A. Nichols.The most interesting part for me was that Roger Goodman (D) pointed out that his most recent election rival Toby Nixon (R) was also in attendance (he stood up & waved) and that this was one of the issues they actually saw eye-to-eye on. Goodman told of his previous election opponent sending out “negative” mailers saying that Goodman was “soft on drugs”… and if you compare the voter polls before & after that mailer was sent out, Goodman saw a positive uptick afterward, and he ultimately won.Standing up to say that our current drug policies are inefficient, unethical and counterproductive is not the political stage-dive it once was.”Status Quo is Latin for the mess we're in!” – Ronald Reagan
I attended another one of these screenings several months ago in Kirkland, hosted by Rick Steves, as well as the head of the King County Bar Association, state rep, Roger Goodman, and retired judge David A. Nichols.nnThe most interesting part for me was that Roger Goodman (D) pointed out that his most recent election rival Toby Nixon (R) was also in attendance (he stood up & waved) and that this was one of the issues they actually saw eye-to-eye on. Goodman told of his previous election opponent sending out “negative” mailers saying that Goodman was “soft on drugs”… and if you compare the voter polls before & after that mailer was sent out, Goodman saw a positive uptick afterward, and he ultimately won.nnStanding up to say that our current drug policies are inefficient, unethical and counterproductive is not the political stage-dive it once was.nn”Status Quo is Latin for the mess we’re in!” n- Ronald Reagan
Bud Krogh does a horrible impression of President Nixon… but it was very interesting to hear of the pragmatic, harm reduction, treatment & education route Nixon took with the heroin problem in Washington DC while simultaneously rejecting the Shaffer commission's findings that adult consumption of marijuana should not be criminalized because it actually makes drug & crime problems worse.Mary Helen Roberts… you have my support (political & otherwise) for your courage & candor. She spoke eloquently about the broad impact these policies have on our society, and I especially liked her reference to the core issues she got into politics for: child care & education, and the struggle to fund these early child-care programs with proven benefits to deter abuse & increase positive outcomes. Constantly being told “There simply isn't enough money in the budget” for programs and initiatives which help children succeed in school & life… but when stiffer penalties for drugs are proposed, you hardly hear anyone speaking out on the additional cost to taxpayers with very little return on investment. She also pointed out that the disproportionate way that these laws are enforced. Only about 14% of pot smokers are black, but 40% of those arrested for it are black.John McKay made me laugh a few times (being publicly fired makes for great comedy, btw)… because he said he was not in favor of legalizing marijuana so anyone could have it, but treating it like alcohol & regulating it seemed like a good idea… which prompted Rick Steves to clarify that they were in agreement. Nobody wants kids smoking pot and nobody wants people driving impaired, or using addiction as an excuse to violate others. It was kind of a “duh!” moment when Steves spelled that out.Every one of the speakers reiterated the importance of contacting our legislative representatives about this issue, because they are scared of looking “soft on drugs” if they attempt to be “smart on drugs.” We need to let them know that we support pragmatic & effective drug policy reform to protect our kids & our communities… not to mention our national forests. Being open to discussing the topic with those around you, and overcoming the fear of talking about drugs will help shift the paradigm of our relationship with drugs in general, and hopefully help reform policy in a direction that successfully reduces harm caused by drugs.I found the forum very compelling and informative in addition to the screening of the film. I didn't see any of the MLT city council members in attendance, but the place was packed, so perhaps I missed them.https://www.seattlepi.com/local/412363_pot16.htm…https://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archi…
Bud Krogh does a horrible impression of President Nixon… but it was very interesting to hear of the pragmatic, harm reduction, treatment & education route Nixon took with the heroin problem in Washington DC while simultaneously rejecting the Shaffer commission’s findings that adult consumption of marijuana should not be criminalized because it actually makes drug & crime problems worse.nnMary Helen Roberts… you have my support (political & otherwise) for your courage & candor. She spoke eloquently about the broad impact these policies have on our society, and I especially liked her reference to the core issues she got into politics for: child care & education, and the struggle to fund these early child-care programs with proven benefits to deter abuse & increase positive outcomes. Constantly being told “There simply isn’t enough money in the budget” for programs and initiatives which help children succeed in school & life… but when stiffer penalties for drugs are proposed, you hardly hear anyone speaking out on the additional cost to taxpayers with very little return on investment. nShe also pointed out that the disproportionate way that these laws are enforced. Only about 14% of pot smokers are black, but 40% of those arrested for it are black.nnJohn McKay made me laugh a few times (being publicly fired makes for great comedy, btw)… because he said he was not in favor of legalizing marijuana so anyone could have it, but treating it like alcohol & regulating it seemed like a good idea… which prompted Rick Steves to clarify that they were in agreement. Nobody wants kids smoking pot and nobody wants people driving impaired, or using addiction as an excuse to violate others. It was kind of a “duh!” moment when Steves spelled that out.nnEvery one of the speakers reiterated the importance of contacting our legislative representatives about this issue, because they are scared of looking “soft on drugs” if they attempt to be “smart on drugs.” We need to let them know that we support pragmatic & effective drug policy reform to protect our kids & our communities… not to mention our national forests. Being open to discussing the topic with those around you, and overcoming the fear of talking about drugs will help shift the paradigm of our relationship with drugs in general, and hopefully help reform policy in a direction that successfully reduces harm caused by drugs.nnI found the forum very compelling and informative in addition to the screening of the film. I didn’t see any of the MLT city council members in attendance, but the place was packed, so perhaps I missed them.nnhttps://www.seattlepi.com/local/412363_pot16.html?source=rssnhttps://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/185331.asp
Bud Krogh does a horrible impression of President Nixon… but it was very interesting to hear of the pragmatic, harm reduction, treatment & education route Nixon took with the heroin problem in Washington DC while simultaneously rejecting the Shaffer commission's findings that adult consumption of marijuana should not be criminalized because it actually makes drug & crime problems worse.Mary Helen Roberts… you have my support (political & otherwise) for your courage & candor. She spoke eloquently about the broad impact these policies have on our society, and I especially liked her reference to the core issues she got into politics for: child care & education, and the struggle to fund these early child-care programs with proven benefits to deter abuse & increase positive outcomes. Constantly being told “There simply isn't enough money in the budget” for programs and initiatives which help children succeed in school & life… but when stiffer penalties for drugs are proposed, you hardly hear anyone speaking out on the additional cost to taxpayers with very little return on investment. She also pointed out that the disproportionate way that these laws are enforced. Only about 14% of pot smokers are black, but 40% of those arrested for it are black.John McKay made me laugh a few times (being publicly fired makes for great comedy, btw)… because he said he was not in favor of legalizing marijuana so anyone could have it, but treating it like alcohol & regulating it seemed like a good idea… which prompted Rick Steves to clarify that they were in agreement. Nobody wants kids smoking pot and nobody wants people driving impaired, or using addiction as an excuse to violate others. It was kind of a “duh!” moment when Steves spelled that out.Every one of the speakers reiterated the importance of contacting our legislative representatives about this issue, because they are scared of looking “soft on drugs” if they attempt to be “smart on drugs.” We need to let them know that we support pragmatic & effective drug policy reform to protect our kids & our communities… not to mention our national forests. Being open to discussing the topic with those around you, and overcoming the fear of talking about drugs will help shift the paradigm of our relationship with drugs in general, and hopefully help reform policy in a direction that successfully reduces harm caused by drugs.I found the forum very compelling and informative in addition to the screening of the film. I didn't see any of the MLT city council members in attendance, but the place was packed, so perhaps I missed them.https://www.seattlepi.com/local/412363_pot16.htm…https://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archi…
gratzie