American Civil Liberties Union of Washington

Sponsor: Rep. Dickerson, Sens. Prentice & Kline

The bill would legalize and comprehensively regulate marijuana for adult use. Washington's marijuana laws are failing our communities. They waste scarce public safety resources. They unfairly burden individuals, their families, and especially communities of color with the harsh consequences of marijuana convictions. And they have not decreased marijuana use.

With responsible marijuana law reform, we could regulate and tax marijuana – a much more effective approach. Even thought the bill did not pass this session, the discussion it generated helped to further public understanding of the need to treat concerns about marijuana use as a public health issue, not as a criminal matter.