cannabisnews.com: Voters Scald Latte Tax; But Pot Measure Passing Voters Scald Latte Tax; But Pot Measure Passing Posted by CN Staff on September 17, 2003 at 08:38:08 PT Elaine Porterfield, Matthew Craft and Sam Skolnik Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer This is the land of Starbucks, a city where the words doubletall, skinny and splitshot are uttered just as often as please and thank you.It's also the home of Hempfest, a city where tens of thousands of people are drawn to the waterfront on a summer weekend to promote liberalization of marijuana laws. And so, yesterday, as Seattle voters decided the fate of two measures that seemed to define this city's free and coffee-fueled spirit, a clear message emerged:Leave pot smokers alone, and don't mess with our coffee.Unofficial returns showed voters were rejecting Initiative 77, which had become known as the latte tax, by a 2-1 ratio. By a sizable margin, voters appeared to be on the verge of approving Initiative 75.That measure would require the Seattle Police Department and the City Attorney's Office to make small-scale marijuana possession -- when for personal use by adults -- their "lowest law-enforcement priority."The results, said Jeff Babcock, the owner of Zoka Coffee Roaster, show that Seattleites "see what is right and wrong.""Is it right to send people to jail for years for smoking marijuana? No. Is it right to tax lattes? No."In a day in which voters also decided City Council and Seattle School Board races, the two measures evolved into those "only in Seattle" stories the rest of the country seems to love.The latte measure, for example, was written about in USA Today and The New York Times; it was talked about on NPR, CBS and the BBC.The marijuana initiative drew criticism from John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, who lambasted the idea during a recent trip to Seattle."If you understand substance abuse is a disease," he asked, "why would you want to foster that disease?"But voters thought otherwise."If anything, marijuana should be legal and alcohol illegal," said Shelley Mangini, a 30-year-old waitress and bartender as she emerged from a polling place on lower Queen Anne."You just don't get aggressive when you smoke pot. I think that (the measure) is going to move us in the right direction." Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/seattlepot.htmNewshawk: BGreenSource: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA)Author: Elaine Porterfield, Matthew Craft and Sam Skolnik, Seattle P-I ReporterPublished: Wednesday, September 17, 2003Copyright: 2003 Seattle Post-IntelligencerContact: editpage seattle-pi.comWebsite: http://www.seattle-pi.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Sensible Seattle Coalition http://www.sensibleseattle.org/Seattle Voters Favor Measure on Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17332.shtmlD.C. Bud? - Seattle Weeklyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17331.shtmlPot Measure Backed By Money, Political Support http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17326.shtmlDrug Czar Blasts City's Initiative on Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17269.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by mayan on September 17, 2003 at 17:26:54 PT Foot in Mouth... From KOMO TV story that FoM posted..."I think it was sold to the people that did vote for it by saying the police department can now react more to violent crime, and that's just patently untrue," he(Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowski) said.Wow...what can you say? [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on September 17, 2003 at 11:16:59 PT News Story from KOMO TV Chief Mows Down Grass InitiativeSeptember 17, 2003 By Brian Calvert Seattle's police chief is reacting to the likely passage of a measure that calls for relaxed enforcement of some marijuana laws. And as KOMO 1000 News' Brian Calvert found out, the chief isn't happy. "It's not going to change any practice in the police department," says Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowski. He questions the measure's constitutionality, and says those who now think they can now light up legally are wrong. "I think it was sold to the people that did vote for it by saying the police department can now react more to violent crime, and that's just patently untrue," he said. Kerlikowski is also questioning the measure's constitutionality, "And whether or not it can withstand court scrutiny, and I don't believe it can." He's afraid that the measure sends a very wrong message. "Some people may be under some false belief that they'll be able to legally use marijuana. Nothing could be further from the truth," he said. But measure author Dominic Holden disagrees. "The underlying message is that we don't want our resources going to arrest other wise law-abiding citizens," Holden said. Holden says he believes the majority of pot smokers aren't part of the crime problem, and insists the impacts will be positive. The measure was passing with a 59 percent 'yes' vote with most of the ballots counted. http://www.komotv.com/stories/27258.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by OverwhelmSam on September 17, 2003 at 10:03:54 PT: Logic 101 If addiction to marijuana is a "disease" then why not refer those who are addicted to a competent Health Professinal? Why send diseased people to jail? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on September 17, 2003 at 09:07:37 PT Drug Czar Warning "If you understand substance abuse is a disease," he asked, "why would you want to foster that disease?"A disease of the heart is worst than any condition. The handwriting is on the wall: there's no future in heartless anti-marijuana propaganda. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment