Washington Initiative 1068 (2010)
Encyclopedia
Initiative 1068 was a proposed initiative
for the November 2010 Washington state general election
that would remove criminal penalties from the adult use, possession
, and cultivation of marijuana
in Washington. The group Sensible Washington is the official sponsor of the initiative. On July 1 Sensible Washington announced that the campaign effort had failed to get enough signatures to justify making a request to the secretary of state for ballot inclusion.
The measure's co-authors include Seattle attorneys Doug Hiatt and Jeffrey Steinborn, Seattle Hempfest
founder Vivian McPeak, medical marijuana
patient and Cannabis Defense Coalition spokesman Ric Smith, and former Seattle Weekly
contributor Philip Dawdy.
by July 2, 2010 to get the measure on the ballot in November. As of May 20, the group had collected approximatedly 100,000 signatures. On July 1, Sensible Washington announced that enough signatures had not been collected for ballot inclusion.
, versions of which have been discussed since 2001. In 1998, Washington voters passed Initiative 692
, removing criminal penalties for medical patients with an approved condition. Ten years later, a "60-day" supply for patients was defined as 24 ounces and 15 plants.
In early 2010, two bills relating to marijuana were defeated in committee by the Legislature
(one proposed selling marijuana through liquor stores, the other sought decriminalize marijuana). Frustrated with the Legislature, Seattle activists filed I-1068 in January. On February 10, the Attorney General's office issued a ballot title and summary for the initiative. One week later, the campaign announced they had "cleared the statutory hurdles" and would start collecting signatures for the initiative.
Ballot Title
Statement of Subject: Initiative Measure No. 1068 concerns marijuana.
Concise Description: This measure would remove state civil and criminal penalties for persons eighteen years or older who cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana. Restrictions and penalties for persons under eighteen would be retained.
Should this measure be enacted into law?
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would remove state civil and criminal penalties for persons eighteen years or older who cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana. Marijuana would no longer be defined as a "controlled substance." Civil and criminal penalties relating to drug
paraphernalia and provisions authorizing seizure or forfeiture of property would not apply to marijuana related offenses committed by persons eighteen years or older. The measure would retain current restrictions and penalties applicable to persons under eighteen.
, all-volunteer effort. In addition to traditional methods of distribution and circulation Sensible Washington has used some nontraditional methods to make petitions available to supporters.
The web site has PDF copies of the petition for download and instructions for printing valid petitions from the PDFs.
80,000 copies of the initiative were distributed in the June 23, 2010 issue of The Stranger
. These were accompanied by a full page advertisement explaining how to sign and collect valid signatures, return the petition and emphasizing the deadline for returning the petitions.
Fraudulently misrepresenting other initiatives as I-1068, the Marijuana Reform Act Initiative, has been documented. Philip Dawdy, a campaign manager for I-1068, has stated his intention to file a complaint with the Washington State Attorney General's Office. Concerns have been expressed by I-1068 supporters that the initiative has not been signed by people who mistakenly believe they have already signed the Marijuana Reform initiative.
Despite high polling numbers it is extremely rare that an initiative make it to the ballot without the use of a paid signature gathering firm. “They’re pretty close to essential,” says Philip Dawdy of the legalize-marijuana Initiative 1068. With less than $8,000 in contributions the campaign was unable to afford the prices charged.
, surveyed a random sample
of 1252 registered Washington voters between May 3 and 23. Of those, 52% supported and 35% opposed "the removing of state civil and criminal penalties for possession or use of marijuana."
Initiative
In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
for the November 2010 Washington state general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
that would remove criminal penalties from the adult use, possession
Drug possession
Drug possession is the crime of having one or more illegal drugs in one's possession, either for personal use, distribution, sale or otherwise. Illegal drugs fall into different categories and sentences vary depending on the amount, type of drug, circumstances, and jurisdiction.A person has...
, and cultivation of marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
in Washington. The group Sensible Washington is the official sponsor of the initiative. On July 1 Sensible Washington announced that the campaign effort had failed to get enough signatures to justify making a request to the secretary of state for ballot inclusion.
The measure's co-authors include Seattle attorneys Doug Hiatt and Jeffrey Steinborn, Seattle Hempfest
Seattle Hempfest
Seattle Hempfest is an annual event in Seattle, Washington, the world's largest annual gathering advocating decriminalization of marijuana. Founded in 1991 as the Washington Hemp Expo, a self-described "humble gathering of stoners" attended by only 500 people, and renamed the following year as...
founder Vivian McPeak, medical marijuana
Medical cannabis
Medical cannabis refers to the use of parts of the herb cannabis as a physician-recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy, or to synthetic forms of specific cannabinoids such as THC as a physician-recommended form of medicine...
patient and Cannabis Defense Coalition spokesman Ric Smith, and former Seattle Weekly
Seattle Weekly
Seattle Weekly is a freely distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as The Weekly...
contributor Philip Dawdy.
Status of initiative
Sensible Washington needed to present 241,153 Washington voter signatures to the Secretary of StateSecretary of State of Washington
The Secretary of State of Washington is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Washington. The duties of the office are specified in Article III, Section 17 of the Washington State Constitution and Chapter 43.07 of the Revised Code of Washington...
by July 2, 2010 to get the measure on the ballot in November. As of May 20, the group had collected approximatedly 100,000 signatures. On July 1, Sensible Washington announced that enough signatures had not been collected for ballot inclusion.
History
In the United States, federal laws related to relaxing penalties related to marijuana have been discussed but not passed. Notable among these is the proposed Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2008Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2008
The Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2008, also known as , was a bill repeatedly introduced in the United States House of Representatives since 2001, most recently on April 17, 2008, by Ron Paul, M.D. , Barney Frank , Dana Rohrabacher , Maurice Hinchey , and Sam Farr...
, versions of which have been discussed since 2001. In 1998, Washington voters passed Initiative 692
Washington Initiative 692 (1998)
Initiative 692 was an initiative in the November 1998 election in the U.S. state of Washington. The initiative was to permit patients with certain debilitating conditions to use medical marijuana...
, removing criminal penalties for medical patients with an approved condition. Ten years later, a "60-day" supply for patients was defined as 24 ounces and 15 plants.
In early 2010, two bills relating to marijuana were defeated in committee by the Legislature
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bipartisan, bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, with 49 Senators.The State Legislature...
(one proposed selling marijuana through liquor stores, the other sought decriminalize marijuana). Frustrated with the Legislature, Seattle activists filed I-1068 in January. On February 10, the Attorney General's office issued a ballot title and summary for the initiative. One week later, the campaign announced they had "cleared the statutory hurdles" and would start collecting signatures for the initiative.
Text of initiative
The full text of the initiative is readable online at Read I-1068.Ballot Title
Statement of Subject: Initiative Measure No. 1068 concerns marijuana.
Concise Description: This measure would remove state civil and criminal penalties for persons eighteen years or older who cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana. Restrictions and penalties for persons under eighteen would be retained.
Should this measure be enacted into law?
Yes [ ]
No [ ]
Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would remove state civil and criminal penalties for persons eighteen years or older who cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana. Marijuana would no longer be defined as a "controlled substance." Civil and criminal penalties relating to drug
paraphernalia and provisions authorizing seizure or forfeiture of property would not apply to marijuana related offenses committed by persons eighteen years or older. The measure would retain current restrictions and penalties applicable to persons under eighteen.
Petition distribution and circulation
Qualifying I-1068 for the November ballot is a grassrootsGrassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
, all-volunteer effort. In addition to traditional methods of distribution and circulation Sensible Washington has used some nontraditional methods to make petitions available to supporters.
The web site has PDF copies of the petition for download and instructions for printing valid petitions from the PDFs.
80,000 copies of the initiative were distributed in the June 23, 2010 issue of The Stranger
The Stranger (newspaper)
The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
. These were accompanied by a full page advertisement explaining how to sign and collect valid signatures, return the petition and emphasizing the deadline for returning the petitions.
Obstacles to qualifying I-1068 for the ballot
- Alleged Fraud
Fraudulently misrepresenting other initiatives as I-1068, the Marijuana Reform Act Initiative, has been documented. Philip Dawdy, a campaign manager for I-1068, has stated his intention to file a complaint with the Washington State Attorney General's Office. Concerns have been expressed by I-1068 supporters that the initiative has not been signed by people who mistakenly believe they have already signed the Marijuana Reform initiative.
- Lack of use of Signature Gathering firm
Despite high polling numbers it is extremely rare that an initiative make it to the ballot without the use of a paid signature gathering firm. “They’re pretty close to essential,” says Philip Dawdy of the legalize-marijuana Initiative 1068. With less than $8,000 in contributions the campaign was unable to afford the prices charged.
Polling results
The Washington Poll, a nonpartisan academic research poll organized by the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, surveyed a random sample
Random sample
In statistics, a sample is a subject chosen from a population for investigation; a random sample is one chosen by a method involving an unpredictable component...
of 1252 registered Washington voters between May 3 and 23. Of those, 52% supported and 35% opposed "the removing of state civil and criminal penalties for possession or use of marijuana."
Support
I-1068 has been endorsed by the following entities:- Norm StamperNorm StamperNorm Stamper is a former Chief of the Seattle Police Department and an author. He is best known for his role in the Seattle's response to the protests of the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, which eventually led to his resignation....
, Seattle Chief of Police (Ret.) - Jim Kenny, Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate, Snohomish County ProsecutorProsecutorThe prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
, and Assistant Seattle City Prosecuting Attorney - Toby NixonToby NixonToby Nixon is an American politician from Washington state and a former Republican member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 45th Legislative District.He was appointed to a vacant House seat in 2002, and was elected as an incumbent in 2004...
, former Washington State Rep. (R-Kirkland) - Dr. Lester GrinspoonLester GrinspoonDr. Lester Grinspoon is Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Grinspoon was senior psychiatrist at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center in Boston for 40 years. Dr. Grinspoon is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American...
, MD, faculty emeritus, Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, Department of Psychiatry, and author of "Marihuana Reconsidered" - Washington State Democrats
- NORML – National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
- NORML – Washington State Chapter
- King CountyKing County, WashingtonKing County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
Democratic Central Committee - Libertarian Party of Washington
- Whatcom County Democrats
- 23rd Legislative District Democrats
- 30th Legislative District Democrats
- 37th Legislative District Democrats
- 39th Legislative District Democrats
- 41st Legislative District Democrats
- Tacoma Hemp Company
- Pierce County WA NORML Chapter
- Grammas for Ganja
See also
- Decriminalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States
- Oregon Cannabis Tax ActOregon Cannabis Tax ActThe Oregon Cannabis Tax Act is a proposed initiative for the November 2010 Oregon state general election that would permit personal marijuana and hemp cultivation or use without a license and create a commission to regulate the sale of commercial marijuana...
- Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 (California initiative)
- Washington Initiative 692 (1998)Washington Initiative 692 (1998)Initiative 692 was an initiative in the November 1998 election in the U.S. state of Washington. The initiative was to permit patients with certain debilitating conditions to use medical marijuana...
- Washington Initiative 502 (2011)Washington Initiative 502 (2011)Washington Initiative 502 "on marijuana reform" is an initiative to the legislature, submitted to the Washington state Secretary of State during the summer of 2011. It must gather 241,153 verified signatures by December, to be approved by the Washington State Legislature in their 2012 session or...
External references
- Sensible Washington Approve Initiative 1068 Campaign
- Seattle Weekly Q&A Interview with Doug Hiatt, co-author of I-1068, about I-1068