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Washington Initiative 502, Marijuana Legalization and Regulation Measure (2012)
| Washington Initiative 502 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Marijuana laws |
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| Status |
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| Type Indirect initiated state statute |
Origin |
Washington Initiative 502 was on the ballot as an indirect initiated state statute in Washington on November 6, 2012. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported legalizing and regulating the production, possession, delivery, and distribution of marijuana. |
A "no" vote opposed legalizing and regulating the production, possession, delivery, and distribution of marijuana. |
Election results
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Washington Initiative 502 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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1,724,209 | 55.70% | ||
| No | 1,371,235 | 44.30% | ||
Overview
The measure legalized the production, possession, delivery, and distribution of marijuana. The initiative regulated the sale of small amounts of marijuana to people 21 and older. Marijuana farms and food processors were to be licensed by the Washington State Liquor Control Board.[1][2]
Additionally, the measure made it illegal for a motorist to have more than 5 nanograms of THC (an active ingredient of marijuana) per milliliter of blood in their system.[3]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Initiative 502 was as follows:
| “ | Initiative Measure No. 502 concerns marijuana. This measure would license and regulate marijuana production, distribution, and possession for persons over twenty-one; remove state-law criminal and civil penalties for activities that it authorizes; tax marijuana sales; and earmark marijuana-related revenues. Should this measure be enacted into law? [ ] Yes [ ] No | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Support
The initiative was supported by New Approach Washington.[4] It was sponsored by John McKay, former U.S. Attorney, according to the filed petition. Additional sponsors included Kim Marie Thorburn MD, Peter Holmes, Rick Steves, Robert Wood MD, Roger Roffman and Salvador Mungia.[5]
Supporters
- According to New Approach Washington, sixteen state lawmakers stated support for the measure. These state legislators included:[6]
Arguments
- Former U.S. Attorney John McKay said, "The enormous demand for marijuana in the face of criminal penalties, which has been in existence for 70 years, is spinning off enormous profits for drug cartels, for gangs, for drug dealers. We are strategically, way, way out of position in law enforcement by allowing the American marijuana demand and market to fund those much more serious activities."[7]
- In an op-ed published in The Seattle Times in November 2011, Katrina Pflaumer, a former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington; Robert Alsdorf, a lawyer and retired state Superior Court judge; and Anne Levinson, a former Municipal Court judge and former deputy mayor of Seattle all announced their endorsement of Initiative 502. "Decriminalizing marijuana would allow our state and local governments to refocus limited police and court resources on more important priorities than arresting, jailing and trying adult marijuana users. It would redirect hundreds of millions of dollars that are currently flowing to criminal organizations each year to legitimate businesses. It would restore respect for our laws and law enforcement. And it would decrease the disproportionate criminalization of people of color who have historically been harmed most by the existing laws," said the editorial.[8]
- Charles Mandigo, former Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle FBI office, said, "I do not support or condone the use of marijuana. Rather, I think it is time for us to try a regulatory approach that frees criminal justice resources for more appropriate priorities and strikes a better cost-benefit balance than the strategy we’ve been pursuing for the past forty years."[9]
- Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson stated: “We should regulate and tax [marijuana] like alcohol and tobacco instead of propping up black market profiteers. We have better uses for our police, courts, and jails.”[10]
Opposition
Opponents
Arguments
- Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna stated about the initiative: “I oppose it and think it’s going to fail at the ballot...Once we open the door to all kinds of marijuana, with use by all kinds of people, medical marijuana users will be swept up."[11]
Campaign finance
The following table illustrates the total campaign contributions and expenditures for supporters and opponents:[12]
| Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support | $5,858,273.39 | $313,261.56 | $6,171,534.95 | $5,858,273.39 | $6,171,534.95 |
| Oppose | $14,645.43 | $1,350.00 | $15,995.43 | $12,122.45 | $13,472.45 |
| Total | $5,872,918.82 | $314,611.56 | $6,187,530.38 | $5,870,395.84 | $6,185,007.40 |
Support
The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committees supporting the ballot initiative.[12]
| Committees in support of Initiative 502 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committee | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures |
| New Approach WA | $5,858,273.39 | $313,261.56 | $6,171,534.95 | $5,858,273.39 | $6,171,534.95 |
| Total | $5,858,273.39 | $313,261.56 | $6,171,534.95 | $5,858,273.39 | $6,171,534.95 |
Donors
The following were the top donors to the support committees.[12]
| Donor | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Lewis | $2,005,000.00 | $33,700.00 | $2,038,700.00 |
| Drug Policy Action | $1,685,000.00 | $0.00 | $1,685,000.00 |
| Thomas Cody Swift | $500,000.00 | $0.00 | $500,000.00 |
| ACLU of Washington | $192,500.00 | $243,052.88 | $435,552.88 |
| Rick Steves | $350,000.00 | $0.00 | $350,000.00 |
Oppose
The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committees opposing the ballot initiative.[12]
| Committees in opposition to Initiative 502 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committee | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures |
| Safe Access Alliance | $9,366.54 | $0.00 | $9,366.54 | $9,366.54 | $9,366.54 |
| No on I-502 | $5,278.89 | $1,350.00 | $6,628.89 | $2,755.91 | $4,105.91 |
| Total | $14,645.43 | $1,350.00 | $15,995.43 | $12,122.45 | $13,472.45 |
Donors
The following were the top donors to the opposition committees.[12]
| Donor | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| GreenLink | $2,500.00 | $0.00 | $2,500.00 |
| Arthur West | $1,800.00 | $0.00 | $1,800.00 |
| Edward Agazarm | $1,350.00 | $0.00 | $1,350.00 |
| Puget Sound Health Alternative | $1,200.00 | $0.00 | $1,200.00 |
| Canna Rx | $1,000.00 | $0.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Evergreen Holistic Center | $1,000.00 | $0.00 | $1,000.00 |
Methodology
To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.
Media editorials
Support
- According to the Seattle Times: "Everyone involved in medical cannabis should support Initiative 502. It does not offer unregulated freedom; the people of Washington are not ready for that. We believe they are ready to bring marijuana above ground to license it, tax it and regulate its sale and use. Initiative 502 asks for that. It is a step forward."[13]
Opposition
If you are aware of a media editorial opposing the initiative, email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Polls
- See also: Polls, 2012 ballot measures
- An Elway Research poll released in July 2011 found that 54 percent of surveyed voters support I-502, while 43 were opposed and 3 percent were undecided. A total of 408 registered voters were surveyed.[14]
- An Elway Research poll released on January 4, 2012 found the proposed measure supported by 48 percent, while 45 percent were opposed and 7 percent were undecided. The poll surveyed 411 likely voters and had a margin of error of +/- 5 percentage points.[15][16]
|
| Date of Poll | Pollster | In favor | Opposed | Undecided | Number polled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2011 | The Elway Research | 54% | 43% | 3% | 408 |
| January 2012 | The Elway Research | 48% | 45% | 7% | 411 |
Path to the ballot
In Washington, proponents needed to collect a number of signatures for an Initiative to the Legislature, a type of indirect initiated state statute.
On December 29, 2011 an estimated 354,608 petition signatures were submitted with the Washington Secretary of State's office. However, supporters announced plans to submit an additional 10,000 signatures by December 30. The signature verification process was scheduled to begin January 9, 2012 and was expected to take a few days.[17]
On January 27, 2012 the Washington Secretary of State's office concluded, using the random sample method, that sponsors had nearly 278,000 valid signatures. Rejected petitions were thrown out either because names were not found in the registered voter database, a signature was missing or did not match the one on file, or the petition was a duplicate. The error rate was 21.73 percent. According to state officials, the average error rate was 18 percent.[18]
The Initiative to the Legislature first went to the Washington State Legislature for consideration. Since no action was taken on the measure, it then headed to the statewide ballot for a public vote.[19]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Marijuana legalization initiative to turn signatures next week," December 20, 2011
- ↑ The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "Marijuana measure headed for ballot?" December 20, 2011
- ↑ Associated Press, "WA pot legalization signatures submitted to state," December 29, 2011
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Pro-pot campaign gets big names, deep pockets," November 4, 2011
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Proposed Initiatives to the Legislature - 2011," accessed December 27, 2011
- ↑ Bain Bridge View, "Sixteen state lawmakers endorse initiative to legalize marijuana," May 2, 2012
- ↑ MyFoxSpokane.com, "Former U.S. Attorney endorses initiative to legalize marijuana," November 16, 2011 (dead link)
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Sign Initiative 502 to put marijuana legalization before state Legislature," November 11, 2011
- ↑ New Approach Washington, "Former Head of Seattle FBI Office Endorses Initiative to Legalize, Tax, and Regulate Marijuana," November 14, 2011
- ↑ Seattle Times, "Libertarian presidential candidate endorses Washington marijuana legalization," March 19, 2012
- ↑ Seattle Politics, "McKenna takes pot shots at marijuana initiative," accessed March 27, 2012
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Washington Political Disclosure Commission, "Campaign Search," accessed September 16, 2024
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Medical-marijuana dispensaries should get on Initiative 502 bandwagon," September 7, 2012
- ↑ Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "High Backing for Legalized Pot in Washington State Poll," July 6, 2011
- ↑ Associated Press, "Poll: Wash. voters split on legalizing marijuana," January 4, 2012
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "New poll shows voters split on legalizing marijuana," January 4, 2011
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State's From Our Corner blog, "Marijuana measure petitions roll in," December 29, 2011
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State's blog: From Our Corner, "Marijuana Initiative 502 certified to Legislature/ballot," January 27, 2012
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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