Congressman Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington State, recently became the 16th lawmakers to join as a cosponsor for H.R. 1523, the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act, a federal measure which would require the government to respect states that legalize marijuana, whether for medicine or recreation. The measure has bipartisan support, and has garnered more attention and political support than any such measure before it.

Congressman Smith’s support is important, as he’s the first representative from Washington State – a state which recently legalized marijuana possession – to sign on in support of the measure. Marijuana reform advocates have recently put heat on reps from Washington, as none of them had signed on to the measure. Hopefully Smith’s support will push Washington’s other officials to do the same.

Whether you’re in Washington State, or any other state in the U.S., you should contact your federal elected officials (which you can look up by clicking here) and urge them to respect states which take the sensible approach of legalizing marijuana.

– TheJointBlog