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Now that voters in Washington State have approved Initiative 502 legalizing marijuana, the big question is what will the legal marijuana actually be like. The initiative gives the Washington State Liquor Control Board the job of regulating the new industry and they are going to be the prime source for answers. The WSLCB has created a new website to detail the implementation of the new law and a useful fact sheet explains what the law allows for.
Under the law, individuals 21 year of age and older will be allowed to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, 16 ounces of marijuana infused products in a solid form (think marijuana brownies), and 72 ounces of marijuana infused liquids. Possession of marijuana in excess of those amounts would still be a crime for regular adults not licensed to sell or produce marijuana.
It is estimated that marijuana will cost around $12 per gram which is roughly the same price as medical marijuana in the state.
The law will allow for special retail outlets that sell marijuana but they will be highly restricted. Marijuana stores will only be allowed to sell marijuana products. No one under the age of 21 will even be allowed on the premises. These marijuana retail stores will be very inconspicuous, thanks to tough restrictions on their ability to advertise. Marijuana stores will only be allowed one small sign and they can’t display marijuana in their windows.
Marijuana smoking adults should have convenient places to legally buy marijuana that is tested for quality while non-smokers should barely even notice that these new businesses exist.
The law doesn’t officially go into effect until 30 days after the election, which is December 6th. That is when it will be legal for adults to possess marijuana, but it will probably be between several months to a year before WSLCB is able to start licensing growers and retailers. How long it will actually be until adults in the state are able to simply walk into a store and legally buy some marijuana will likely also depend on if/how the federal government reacts.
Photo by boodoo under Creative Commons license.
18 Comments
Will you be able to grown your own?
In two years MJ will be in Wal Mart and Circle K.
Not in Washington. It will still be illegal.
Wonder how long until Obama LLC sends in the Feds to arrest everyone, confiscate the product and close up shop.
No homegrown under this law, but they will have to change that.
Yeah, nobody will notice the thousands of Portlanders storming the Vancouver shops.. Already the editors that opposed Measure 80 are urging the Oregon Legislature to draft an “acceptable” legalization bill and put it on the ballot for 2014.
Over 4 million dollars went into the Washington effort. Oregon got 46% with every major editorial opposing it, and less than 1 million of financial support.
Maybe this is a better compromise than what I brought up yesterday: just heading over to the nearest 7-11 and buying beer, herb and munchies in one quick stop.
I have always said that responsible use comes with the responsibility to respect those who don’t smoke. The discreet, “buy it here smoke it somewhere else” is the incremtal approach as people get used to the idea of legalization.
So much for my idea of Weed-Mart: a combination of cannabis cafe, head shop, reggae boutique and snack bar.
Jon’s article is about WAshington. But I understand that in Colorado you can have up to an ounce or grow up to six plants; all indoor no outdoor.
As soon as he is done focking us with his Grand Bargain, I’m sure this is next on his “to do” list.
How long do you think Obama and the neo libs have before they get thrown out of the democratic party? Obama doesn’t care and it looks like he’s going down the wrong road but those that come after him will be listening. Marijuana is the new swing vote. We will own this in just a few years, politicians that come out against weed will be unable to win office. The only republicans that win will be ones that support legalization.
Nate Silver predicts that by 2016 it will be legal nationwide.
The authoritarians are in retreat.
As someone who spent almost 6 years in prison for growing, I thoroughly enjoy this vindication of my righteous indignation
Yikes! $350 an ounce? That’s not going to end the illegal market. Now if the price were to be around the $80 per ounce (or about $2.50 per gram), then that would be cheap enough that the illegal market would not be able to stay in business.
Oh lord…. one of the worst agencies in my state is the Alcohol depts. Never mind the Tobacco and Alcohol gestopp that does nothing but shake down bars and restraunt…
1) BIG booze controls much of the depts. So it keeps local breweries down. Like say you are a brewer making low batch, high quality product, you cant have tastings or a pub near the brewery.
2) the interfere with distribution so it much harder for small breweries/distillaries to get their products out
3) getting liquor license can very hard and at times amounts to state sponsered extortion. Its always better to buy a location that already has one than to try and get one. In smaller towns it can be impossible or your license can get pulled for the smallest piece of BS.
Basically everything is geared so Anheiser Busch et al are always top dog.
Maybe washington is a bit different since it had the brew pub fad hit big in the 90s but if this were my state the very people I would want no where near pot are the ones who would have been put in charge of it
thats my real issue. I dont want to have to deal with anyone. Why do I need to buy something I can just grow. I could use my patio, an indoor grow room or my family has a small plot of land that no one has farmed in about 60 years that I could plant a decent plot on.
Laws for possession are already a joke everywhere and just used to milk “probabtion” money out of people. I want to be able to grow my own without some swat team busrting in trying to act all macho like we’re building bombs
I’m with ya, Crow: 5 yrs Fed for 10 lb of small MJ plants. (I also lost everything else too–40-acre farm, all my possessions, my health, and my law license…long story.) That was nearly 20 years ago–and yeah, it is sweet to see everyone finally waking up to the truth us old heads have known 4ever.
What’s really funny is how everybody, including the terminal prohibitionists I’ve known for decades, are now saying “Well I’ve been for legalization the whole time!”
>>
see mLaw for complete text of all 3 legalization referrenda (CO, OR & WA) as voted on by the citizens of those states ..
CO amendment 64
OR measure 80
WA Initative 502
as an aside – my feeling is that any legalization law that does not allow self-production (knowingly or not) supports the stranglehold that liquor distributors have on communities and states (see above for the description of state liquor control officials method of neutering the competition of small breweries) .. and will be challenged legally by user/growers – the likely outcome will look something like the laws that exist in states like my own that allow the fermenting of beer for personal consumption, but set aggressive standards for public health and licensing for brewers who intend to sell in the marketplace.
that said .. this is clearly a victory for both common sense and against the mafia that controls the illicit production, distribution and sale of marijuana and against the civil rights eroding, $ bonanza for local law enforcement and murderous enterprise that is the fake and destruction ‘war on drugs’
ps. nothing worse than a ‘dry’ marijuana user (see b.clinton&g.w.bush&b.obama) in terms of trying to ‘look tough’ by busting out ‘weed criminals’ and who always attempt to equate drug use with terrorism > case in point, Obama’s ‘drug czar’ …
see – the demise : joint chief fears theoretical alliance between drug smugglers and Islamic terrorists
Hmmmm. I just thought of something with the whole THC blood level thing … does this mean the Spokane cops can start running people in for blood tests if they “look high?” That has some serious negative potential.
We’ll have to see how this plays out. Still. It’s a great start.
Any way it goes, casual voters absolutely *think* they fully legalized pot. In the minds of most everyone I’m talking to, “it’s legal”. If cops start busting backyard growers nobody’s going to like it.
Thanks Jon.
Neo-Libs…? What can I say?? You’re stupid! Do you really know anything about US politics? Thought not. I wear my LIB badge with great pride, so should you. It’s will NOT be the only swing vote component, but rather ONE of that in the broader electorate. Simple arithmetic shows that clearly. I corresponded with O office on this issue, but in stronger terms on the industrial hemp issue and he responded with a signed letter. I stated that I had two words to describe his Drug Czar: “numb” and “nuts”, Secondly, I stated that industrial hemp MUST be part of our national energy policy and transitional element of out food/fiber/fuels/chemicals/building materials parts of the US GDP. I included in my letter a comprehensive talking points outline of what I believed our energy policy must be over his term and out 200 years. Legalization of marijuana WAS NEVER going to be a first term issue nor was industrial hemp, but he agreed with me on the later, no comment on the former. If it had he would NEVER have gotten re-elected. Everybody wants to eat the entire elephant in one bite. That get no one anywhere fast. We should rejoice in this accomplishment along with other accomplishments on equality.
I wear my LIB badge with great pride, so should you. It’s will NOT be the only swing vote component, but rather ONE of that in the broader electorate. Simple arithmetic shows that clearly. I corresponded with O office on this issue, but in stronger terms on the industrial hemp issue and he responded with a signed letter. I stated that I had two words to describe his Drug Czar: “numb” and “nuts”, Secondly, I stated that industrial hemp MUST be part of our national energy policy and transitional element of out food/fiber/fuels/chemicals/building materials parts of the US GDP. I included in my letter a comprehensive talking points outline of what I believed our energy policy must be over his term and out 200 years. Legalization of marijuana WAS NEVER going to be a first term issue nor was industrial hemp, but he agreed with me on the later, no comment on the former. If it had he would NEVER have gotten re-elected. Everybody wants to eat the entire elephant in one bite. That get no one anywhere fast. We should rejoice in this accomplishment along with other accomplishments on equality.