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2003 Seattle Election Information Primary Election Voters' Guide Initiative 75 - Marijuana Law Enforcement Statement Against I-75 Is a Bad Law The law is both unnecessary and over-broad. Initiative 75 proclaims a new Seattle city policy that "the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of offenses, where marijuana was intended for adult personal use, (is) the City's lowest law enforcement priority." Prosecution of adults for personal possession of small amounts is, for all practical purposes, already near the bottom of the many priorities of law enforcement, given our emphasis on major crimes and dwindling resources. The initiative does not stop at simple misdemeanors, however. Its broad language seems to include felony marijuana sales and growing operations. We do not agree that growing and selling pot should be ignored by law enforcement. I-75 wastes resources: The Seattle City Council would appoint an 11-member "Marijuana Policy Review Panel" _ another city commission consuming taxpayer resources. I-75 then requires police officers in the Seattle Police Department to do more paperwork — compiling reports on every marijuana arrest, misdemeanor or felony, and submit them to the new commission for their review. This non-elected commission will then review the arrest reports and make recommendations to the city council. This is a waste of taxpayer dollars. The initiative sends a confusing message to our children. We tell our kids that using drugs is harmful and wrong _ a clear and truthful message. I-75 makes it Seattle's official policy to ignore drug crimes. How will our children reconcile these messages? The truth is: they can't. The initiative ignores medical facts about marijuana usage. While marijuana may seem harmless to some, its negative effects have been well documented. Negative health effects of marijuana include respiratory infections, impaired memory and learning, increased heart rate, and panic attacks. Marijuana meets the criteria for an addictive drug and animal studies suggest marijuana causes physical dependence. Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke, which contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogens than tobacco smoke. Marijuana's damage to short-term memory is also clear. One recent study found that high school seniors who were heavy marijuana smokers scored significantly lower on scholastic tests than their classmates who did not use marijuana. This initiative sets Seattle on the wrong track toward an official tolerance policy for drugs. It is wrong for our children and our community. It adds useless government bureaucracy and paperwork. Seattle voters should do the sensible thing and reject I-75. Statements Prepared by: Rebuttal to Statement Against Jailing marijuana users is a costly failure. So conclude both the League of Women Voters of Seattle and the King County Bar Association. I-75 sets sensible priorities and prevents ruined lives. Opponents of I-75 are wrong. - Medical marijuana patients ARE being harmed. City Attorney Carr's office attempted to seize the home of a medical marijuana patient with multiple sclerosis. - I-75 costs NOTHING. Review Panel members are unpaid. Police and prosecutors will report, twice a year, information they are already required to collect. We have a right to know. - Jailing people for marijuana wastes taxpayer dollars: over $25,000 a year for each jail bed. That's YOUR money. It doesn't make sense to divert scarce public resources from our libraries, parks and other basic services — or to hurt people who need our help. Seattle has a choice. Vote Yes on I-75. Rebuttal prepared by: Sensible Seattle Coalition |
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