Inslee sends letter detailing Wash. legal pot plan
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee sent U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder a letter this week detailing the efforts the state is taking as it moves forward with creating rules for a voter-approved legal market for marijuana.
Inslee wrote the "the world is watching" both Colorado and Washington as the two states implement last fall's votes that approved the recreational use of marijuana
"We intend to do it right," he wrote. The letter was sent Tuesday, but released by Inslee's office publicly on Thursday.
Voters in Washington state and Colorado in November approved measures legalizing the recreational use of the drug, allowing use by adults over 21 and the creation of state-licensed systems of growers, processors and retail stores that sell heavily taxed pot.
But because the creation of those regulatory schemes poses a possible conflict with federal law, which outlaws marijuana, the states have been moving ahead with implementation without certainty of whether the federal government will try to block them.
Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson met with Holder last month, but they weren't given any clarity on how the federal government will respond, if at all.
However, Inslee said he promised Holder that he would give him further details on how the state might prevent Washington-grown marijuana from being diverted to other states.
In his letter, Inslee noted that Washington state officials are in discussion with officials from Colorado about that state's current system of regulating medical marijuana.
Inslee also wrote that he is exploring digitally tracking legally grown plants and processed marijuana to preclude large-scale diversion. He mentioned that apples in the state can already be traced from individual orchards, "through packing houses and distributors, and ultimately to market."
Inslee wrote that the state Liquor Control Board, charged with regulating marijuana under Washington's measure, is still in the midst of ruling on rules for the process. He said that while the process is still ongoing, "our goals include creation of a system that minimizes the illicit market through price, access and convenience while simultaneously controlling the product."
Inslee said the agency already performs background checks of potential licensees, but that those checks will likely be expanded to include fingerprinting, allowing access to both the Washington State Patrol and FBI databases.
The governor wrote that inventory control, packaging and labeling and recording keeping and audits would all have high standards and rules to ensure proper control over the marijuana that is grown, processed and sold in the state.
The Liquor Control Board has already held a series of public forums on the rulemaking process, and a draft of proposed rules for producer licenses is expected to be filed by mid-April. Under their timeline, the board said that producer licenses would be effective in August, and processor and retailer licenses would become effective on Dec. 1.
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Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
Thats one smoken plan!  Anybody whos' first name is Jay, no doubt has a handle on it. (or a clip)
going to be very interesting to see how the feds react to this new business.
Will they let this new industry even start?
I think once the tax revenue starts flowing in it might be hard to stop. Â Even if is amount is small its hard to turn away this money.
perhaps at that point the feds will just give in an add a 15% tax of their own.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. So we are going to get rid of the drug runners and the police drug units and replace them with bootleggers and revinewers.Â
""We intend to do it right," he wrote. The letter was sent Tuesday, but released by Inslee's office publicly on Thursday."
Time and history will be the judge of whether Washington does it right. I'm not all that confident in them being able to "do it right".
By the time this is all said and done the legal MJ will cost double what the illegal MJ costs which will ensure that criminals continue to make healthy profits. Â Just look what NY has done with cigarettes. Â If WA wants to make this work AND turn a profit they have to make it easier to obtain and or cheaper than street dealers. Â They may also want to up the penalties for illegal dealing, possibly to draconian levels. Â This is a slippery slope they are finding themselves on. Â
Give me all of your marijuanas, Washington!Â
Let the Medical Marijuana Patients run the system, they have already set up thier own years ago that conforms with State Law. It would also put many disabled people back to work.
how bout forgetting all the oversight crap for once, for crying out loud. all morals, reasonableness and civility is gone...never to return.
I think they said the same thing about liquior in 1933.Â
David Kobbeman Portland
David Kobbeman Portland
David Kobbeman Portland