The draft rules cover everything from the requirements to obtain a license to grow commercially, what level of security is needed for a marijuana businesses, what type of photo ID’s will be accepted at marijuana stores, to even how to properly dispose of unused parts of marijuana.

Not surprisingly, the proposed regulations in Washington a similar to those recommended by the Colorado task force for implementation of their own new marijuana law.

The parts of the draft rules I think regular people will find most interesting is the regulations that will most impact normal consumers.

The WSLCB has decided what information must be contained on the label for a package of marijuana. Every package will be required to contain a warning, the name of the business, lot number, the concentration of the cannabinoids, the statement “this product is unlawful outside of Washington,” date of harvest and the Washington State marijuana license logo. A sample label provided by the WSLCB is pictured in the article.

All marijuana producers will be required to disclose in writing all pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides in their growing operation. Marijuana can be labeled as organic but only if certified by the state Department of Agriculture.

The WSLCB will require a slightly different label for marijuana-infused products. It decided a “single serving” of marijuana should be 10 milligrams of THC and no marijuana-infused product should contain more than ten servings.

These basic labels may end up serving as a national model. It is likely, as other states legalize marijuana, they will copy much of the regulations being created right now in Washington State and Colorado.

While voters in Washington State approved I-502 last November and parts of the law that remove criminal for possession went into effect in December, much of the law remains to be implemented. The state’s liquor board first needs to create new regulations governing the entirely new industry and issue licenses before adults will legally be able to purchase marijuana in stores.

After months of preliminary work the WSLCB has finally put out an official timeline for implementing the commercial aspects of the legalization. According to the WSLCB individuals should be able to apply for a license to grow or sell marijuana by September and a month later the state will start issuing licenses.

From the WSLCB:

Mid May – Send draft rules to stakeholders for comment

Mid June – CR102 (draft rules) filed for the Producer, Processor and Retailer Licenses. The CR102 allows the WSLCB to seek public comment on draft rule language developed with input from the public during the initial comment period.*

Small Business Economic Impact Statement issued with CR 102.

Late July – Public hearing/s on rules for the Producer, Processor and Retailer Licenses allowing the public to comment on the draft rule language.

Rules adopted.

Late August – Rules become effective.

September – WSLCB begin accepting Producer, Processor and Retail License applications.

December 1 – Rules are complete (as mandated by law). WSLCB begins issuing Producer, Processor and Retail licenses to qualified applicants.

Photo by Coleen Danger released under Creative Commons License

As of today marijuana is now legal in Washington State! Adults age 21 and over are now allowed to possess and use up to an ounce of marijuana under state law. Last month voters in the state approved Initiative 502, but it didn’t officially go into effect until 30 days after the election. It is very likely that today will be looked back on as the beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition in the United States.

Washington will forever be known as the first state to legalize marijuana. Colorado was technically the first state voting to legalize marijuana, being in an early timezone, but Amendment 64 will not go into effect in Colorado for a few more weeks.

While recreational marijuana is now legal for adults in the state, there is still not a legal system for them to obtain it. Initiative 502 will eventually result in the state creating a system of highly regulated growers and retail marijuana stores, but it will take roughly another year for the Washington State Liquor Control Board to craft those regulations. You can follow the progress at the LCB I-502 implementation site.

For now though, if you live in Washington State; smoke’em if you got’em, if you are 21 years of age or older and don’t intend to drive right afterwards. Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.

Editor’s Note: Celebrate Washington State legalizing #Marijuana today with a #JustSayNow Avatar.

Photo by Torben Bjørn Hansen under Creative COmmons license.

Washington State and Colorado made history this year by ending their prohibitions of marijuana, sounding a powerful rebuke against the colossal failure that is our nation’s War on Drugs.

Both Initiative 502 and Amendment 64 mount serious challenges to the federal government’s posture on marijuana, and while the country watches to see what happens next, Just Say Now and our movement of committed activists is preparing to protect legalization from intervention at all costs and push for new reforms across the United States.

Just Say Now activists played a critical role in the passage of this year’s historic reforms. Here’s a look at what our netroots GOTV campaign was able to accomplish in one month’s time:

• Called 10,500 voters across initiative states
• Registered over 1,280 voters
• Recruited 2,000 grassroots volunteers
• Ran ads to 685,000 people
• Raised $12,000 to get out the vote

Our volunteer phone bank was home to some of our most dedicated activists of the campaign, some of whom made over 1,000 phone calls eachfor marijuana legalization. This year’s top 5 callers are:

• Jim Johnson – 1,720 calls
• Henry Rauchweld – 1,711 calls
• Patrick Ellis – 702 calls
• John Roark – 228 calls
• Amanda Rain – 218 calls

A big thanks to everyone who joined our call campaign and spoke to voters about marijuana reform — you helped lead us to victory by taking the time to speak with someone directly about the importance of ending prohibition.

What’s next for marijuana reform?

The next phase for our movement is to protect our gains while organizing to end prohibition in other states in 2014 and beyond.

As Just Say Now predicted when we launched in 2010, marijuana legalization was realized with the overwhelming support of young voters. Our Senior Policy Analyst Jon Walker noted that young voters were largely responsible for pushing Washington and Colorado over the top; in Washington, the youth vote jumped from just 10% to 22% of the electorate from 2008 with legalization on the ballot. This rapidly growing segment of the voting public will undoubtedly carry marijuana reform to states across the nation and will become more influential over drug policy with time.

But there is no reason to believe the war on marijuana is anywhere near over. The Drug War Industrial Complex is far too entrenched in so many areas of life and governance, from the Justice Department to local law enforcement to private prisons, the FDA, defense contractors and beyond. This struggle will necessarily involve dismantling the myriad economic and social incentives that make up the lifeblood of the Drug War, and ending marijuana prohibition is only the beginning.

Some former government officials have wasted no time issuing threats, assuring the public that the President will intervene in no time. Kevin Sabet, former adviser to Obama’s drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, led the charge by telling reporters, “This is a symbolic victory for (legalization) advocates, but it will be short-lived. They are facing an uphill battle with implementing this, in the face of … presidential opposition and in the face of federal enforcement opposition.” Unfortunately for Mr. Sabet and his colleagues, while the road will certainly be tough-going for reformers such as ourselves, it is the Drug Warriors who are on the wrong side of history and face an uphill battle in blocking the implementation of a policy more popular among voters in Colorado than both President Obama and Governor Romney.

Despite having majority public opinion on our side, we will need to be cautious and aggressive in our defense of legalization. We can no longer allow the public to be intimidated by the show of brute force we expect from the federal government, and demonstrate that their voices cannot be browbeaten into submission. A loud, united front against intervention must be brought to the court of public opinion if we hope to stop the Obama administration from dismantling legalization.

Where will the next fight against prohibition take place? Activists are looking to California to legalize it in 2014 after a close but ultimately disappointing attempt with Prop 19 in 2010. Massachusetts, which passed medical marijuana with 63% in support, could be a perfect place to end prohibition that year as well. New Yorkers may find a medical marijuana campaign taking root in their state over the next few months. Wherever movements to reform our unjust marijuana laws take place, Just Say Now will be there to encourage them and organize activists in their support.

We will also continue organizing activists in support of rescheduling marijuana so it can be prescribed by doctors nationally and end this insane state-by-state prohibition that leaves so many patients helpless and stigmatized. While successful legalization may be a ‘new frontier’ for reform, we cannot and will not forget the many thousands of patients who suffer under the grip of prohibition either.

Just Say Now will work hard to promote the benefits of legalization as they make themselves known in Washington and Colorado, and we will work even harder to protect those benefits from federal intervention. We will also continue our efforts to work with marijuana reform campaigns to pass ballot initiatives in states across the country just as we did in Colorado, Washington and Massachusetts this year.

Why we fight: the Drug War and mass incarceration

It’s important – especially after victory – that we reflect on why we are doing this in the first place. For Just Say Now, marijuana legalization is about much more than an individual’s right to use, sell or purchase marijuana; it’s about the decades of irrational “tough on crime” politicians, policies and institutions that have put more black men behind bars today than were enslaved in 1850. Despite the Drug War’s best efforts, marijuana use continues to grow at a steady rate each year, and the majority of those using it — whites — almost never come in contact with the laws they are breaking.

The fact is that the Drug War is not very good at stopping people from using marijuana or weakening drug cartels, but is incredibly good at locking people up and excluding them from society as felons. One could reasonably argue, based solely on its results, that America’s longest war may not actually be about combating drugs after all, but about the efficient mass incarceration of minorities instead — what’s becoming known as the “New Jim Crow.”

The war on marijuana is a war on the people, and Just Say Now was started to fight against this gross injustice tooth and nail. But ending marijuana prohibition and the War on Drugs will take a lot more than just passing ballot initiatives each election cycle. We need to dig deep and change laws and legal structures at the federal, state and local levels and remove the gargantuan financial incentives that keep this hideous system of control plodding relentlessly forward. The various parts that make up the Drug War and have fueled mass incarceration have done nothing for America but tear apart our communities and turn what’s left against one another.

If this year’s victories are any indication, we’re on track for a better world if we keep working together. From the entire Just Say Now team, thank you so much for your inspiring level of determination and support, and we look forward to having you on our side for the struggle ahead. We could never have done this without you.

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.

Young and voting

One important take away from this election may be that if you want to significantly increase youth turnout, put marijuana legalization on the ballot. Both nationally and in the important swing states, the percentage of the vote that came from adults under 30 was basically unchanged since the 2008 election. According to the exit polling data from CNN, the youth vote was 18 percent of the electorate in 2008 and 19 percent of the electorate in this past election.

By comparison, in the three states with marijuana legalization initiatives on the ballot, Colorado, Oregon and Washington State, there was a significant surge in the voters age 18-29. In 2008 young people made up just 14 percent of the vote in Colorado but this year it was 20 percent. Even more incredibly, in Washington State the youth vote went from just 10 percent of the electorate last election to 22 percent this time.

It is theoretically possible that some unrelated factors or bad data caused there to only be a huge increase in the youth vote in these three states but having marijuana legalization initiatives on the ballot appears by far the most likely cause. Young voters overwhelming support marijuana legalization and it is something they strongly care about. This big increase in the youth vote helped Initiative 502 in Washington state and Amendment 64 in Colorado win by such large margins.

It seems that marijuana legalization is uniquely able to get a large number of young adults to turnout to vote in a way almost no other issue can. Marijuana legalization initiatives appeared to have significantly increased youth turnout in both safe presidential states, like Washington, and also in traditional swing states, like Colorado.

The lesson for politicians and political strategists appears to be that if you want to significantly increase youth turnout, make the election about legalizing marijuana.

Image by maireads under Creative Commons License.

Washington State – Initiative 502
PPP (11/1-3)
Initiative Measure No. 502 would license and regulate marijuana production, distribution, and possession for persons over 21; remove state law criminal and civil penalties for activities that it authorizes; tax marijuana sales; and earmark marijuana-related revenues. If the election was today, would you vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on Initiative 502?
Yes 53%
No 44%
Undecided 3%

All the recent public polling in Washington has found I-502 above the 50 percent mark needed for passage. The SurveyUSA poll from last week found it leading 56 percent to 37 percent and the Washington Poll had it ahead 55.4 percent to 37.6 percent.

During the 2010 election, PPP’s final poll of Proposition 19 in California ended up very accurately predicting how much support that marijuana legalization initiative would get. PPP’s last poll right before the 2010 election found Prop 19 at 44 percent support and on election day it got 46.5 percent of the vote. Assuming PPP’s polling of marijuana initiatives ends up being as accurate this election as it was last cycle, Washington should make history by approving I-502 tomorrow.

Washington State – Initiative 502
Washington Poll (10/18-31)
55.4% – Total – Yes on 502
36.7% – Total – No on 502
6.8% – Undecided
0.3% – Will not vote on this issue

This represents a significant improvement compared to their early polling. The previous Washington Poll from the first half of October found I-502 only leading 47.1 percent yes to to 40.1 percent no.

This new Washington Poll brings their result much more in line with the recent polling from SurveyUSA and Strategies 360. The latest SurveyUSA poll found the initiative leading 56% to 37% while the Strategies 360 poll had it up 54% to 38%.

The consensuses of the recent polling is that I-502 has more than the 50 percent support needed to win and there are no signs that the initiative is losing support in the final days of the campaign. With just five days until the election its chances of winning are extremely good.

I-502 logo in Washington

With less than a week until election day, Initiative 502, which would legalize and regulation marijuana in Washington state for adults, maintains a solid lead in the latest polling. The new SurveyUSA/KING 5 poll finds that a large majority plan to, or already have, voted in support of legalizing marijuana.

Washington State – Initiative 502
SurveyUSA (10/28-31)
Yes 56%
No 37%
Not Sure 7%

Support for the I-502 has remained remarkably consistent in SurveyUSA’s polling throughout this election cycle. This new poll is basically unchanged from their poll two weeks ago which found it lead 55 percent to 36 percent.

While some pollsters have found I-502 with a smaller single-digit advantage, every public poll released in the past month has found the yes side in the lead.

With just five days until the election, Initiative 502′s chance of winning approval looks extremely good.

The latest SurveyUSA poll for King 5 News found that 57 percent of likely voters in the state plan to back the ballot measure while only 33 percent oppose it and another 10 percent remain undecided.

This is effectively unchanged since a month ago when SurveyUSA previously polled Washington. In September, the pollster found I-502 leading by a margin of 57 percent to 34 percent.

Ballot measures tend to lose support as it gets closer to election day, so the fact that support for I-502 has not dropped at all over the past month is a very good sign for the campaign. It seems most voters have already made up their minds about the initiative and aren’t changing them.

Given the current lack of a well funded organized opposition there is a very good chance the campaign will be able to continue holding on to its strong support.