“This bill is an assertion that substance use disorder is treatable brain disease from which people recover,” lead sponsor Rep. Lauren Davis (D) said before the vote. Roers Jones said she would urge for her decriminalization bill’s defeat if the legalization measure, sponsored by Rep. Jason Dockter (R), is approved. The Iowa Democratic Party also adopted a platform plank supporting “legalizing all drugs” in 2016 as a “divestment strategy in the drug war,” as one delegate described it. King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, for one, told lawmakers that prosecuting people for such small amounts of drugs is “simply not an effective strategy” to combat use or overdose deaths. Mosbrucker and Klippert both voted against the bill, along with Reps. Jenny Graham (R), Dan Griffey (R), John Lovick (D) and Jesse Young (R). But by 2018, that language was toned down, with the party instead aligning with policies to simply remove the criminalization of drug use and vacate the records of individuals with non-violent drug convictions. And it removes an earlier provision that would have allowed people with past drug convictions to have those records expunged without meeting current law requirements for vacating convictions. Further, possession of more than one ounce and less than 250 grams would be treated as an infraction, rather than a class B misdemeanor, as it is currently classified. A landmark drug decriminalization and remedy invoice in Washington State cleared its first legislative hurdle on Monday, with a panel. Cannabis in Washington relates to a number of legislative, legal, and cultural events surrounding the use of cannabis (marijuana, hashish, THC, kief, etc. “That’s something that’s critically important to the independent dispensaries in order to survive competing with the vertically aligned businesses,” he said. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Mushroom Observer. “Our vision for a healthier world requires a model of cannabis legalization that includes strategies for repair from the impacts of the drug war in communities of color,” Gudlavelleti said, “and so that is why Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition supports HB 32.”. Del. Lewis replied that “I would gladly clear it all” but acknowledged that there would likely be disagreement over where to draw the line: “I imagine there may be some difference of opinion as to, you know, at what level someone moves from being a corner boy to being something more.”. A bill last year to expand the decriminalization possession threshold to an ounce passed the House last year but was never taken up in the Senate. Somerville, Massachusetts, followed suit in January 2021. Like the Oregon initiative, which passed overwhelmingly in the Nov. 3 election, the Washington proposal, known as the Treatment and Recovery Act, would decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs deemed for personal use and substantially increase funding for treatment. Ben Adlin is a Seattle-based writer and editor. Study Finds Marijuana May Help—And Hinder, Areas With More Marijuana Dispensaries Have Fewer Opioid Deaths, New Study Finds, Feds To Send Marijuana And Hemp Samples To Labs As Part Of Large-Scale Testing Accuracy Study, Best Music Playlists For Psychedelic Therapy Are Explored In New Johns Hopkins Study, Youth Marijuana Use Remains Stable Amid Surge Of State-Level Legalization, Feds Report, Elon Musk Thinks CBD Is ‘Fake,’ But Joe Rogan Teaches Him A Lesson, Sierra Club Gives Tips On Using Marijuana In An Environmentally Friendly Way, Killer Mike Challenges Joe Biden To Adopt Bernie Sanders’s Marijuana Legalization Plan, NBA Could Permanently End Marijuana Tests So It Doesn’t Become ‘Big Brother,’ Commissioner Says, NBA Players Won’t Be Tested For Marijuana Next Year As League Weighs Permanent Change, Marijuana Industry Sees Record Jobs Gains In 2020 Despite Pandemic, New Report Shows, Illinois Sets New Marijuana Sales Record In First Month Of 2021, Canopy Growth Says GW Pharma Infringed On CBD Extraction Patent In Federal Lawsuit, State Of Montana Launches Online Hemp Marketplace To Connect Buyers And Sellers, New York Governor To Send Amended Marijuana Legalization Plan To Lawmakers Amid Criticism, Mississippi Senate Approves Alternate Medical Marijuana Program, Hours After Defeating It, Voter Support For Marijuana Reform Forces Republicans To ‘Reconcile’ Their Views, Senate Chairman Says, Idaho Medical Marijuana Activists Approved For Signature Gathering Amid Legislative Complications, NY gov details cannabis plan changes (Newsletter: February 17, 2021), Cuomo announces cannabis plan amendments (Newsletter: February 16, 2021), FAA’s cannabis memo for airports (Newsletter: February 15, 2021), MN cannabis bill gets 1st hearing (Newsletter: February 12, 2021), CT gov releases legal cannabis plan (Newsletter: February 11, 2021).