The passage of Initiative 502 to legalize marijuana in Washington state is a challenge to state leaders to stand up to the federal government, opines the Seattle Times
Washington and Colorado have become the first states in the union to vote to legalize marijuana. In 2010, voters in California said no; Tuesday, voters in Oregon also said no. But “no” shakes no foundations. “Yes” does.
And “yes” is the right answer. Prohibition has failed. Licensing the growers and retailers will take marijuana out of the hands of criminal gangs and bring it into the open, where it can be regulated and taxed.
The resounding votes of “yes” on Washington’s Initiative 502 and Colorado’s Amendment 64 put several groups of politicians in an uncomfortable spot. Marijuana is prohibited under the federal Controlled Substances Act. The Obama administration has looked the other way, at least much of the time, in the 17 states that passed laws treating marijuana like a prescription drug. But the Obama administration has never said it would look the other way at states that treated marijuana like alcoholic drinks.
Federal authorities will have to decide how to respond.
Arizona is among 14 states to approve medical marijuana.
Also: Seattle Cops on Pot: “People Can Expect No Enforcement for Possession”
