The Cannabis Reform Act

It’s official, we are Tacoma Initiative No. 1

The ballot title reads:

This Initiative amends Tacoma Municipal Code Title 8 to provide that marijuana or cannabis offenses be the lowest enforcement priority of the City of Tacoma.

The process requires five more days to wait to allow for a ballot title challenge. This seems very unlikely since the ballot title perfectly reflects the text of the initiative. Now we wait.

Petitions will be ready on Friday April 8 after 6:00 PM.

The Citizens of Tacoma are sending this message to elected and other public officials as well as the police department:

Stop wasting valuable resources investigating, arresting and prosecuting medical and non-medical cannabis users.

The police department is under funded. That’s what they tell us. Let’s tell them to enforce more important crimes, specifically violent crimes Budgets are strained, the prosecutor’s office is no different. Let’s tell them they should be prosecuting more important crimes, specifically crimes involving violence The courts over overwhelmed, so we’re told. Let’s tell judges they should be using court time for more important crimes, specifically crimes involving violence

Who is behind this initiative?

Concerned citizens of Tacoma. We’ve watched as the city harassed and shut down one dispensary. We’ve watched as they sent out 19 letters to other dispensaries with a message of cease and desist, which can be avoided by responding with a letter. Just a couple of weeks ago in early March, the City of Tacoma once again sent out cease and desist letters to nine more dispensaries. That seems ludicrous, why did the licensing department even issue licenses is the first place?

We’ve watched the police in Spokane shut down all the dispensaries there last week.

We also know that a bill is working it’s way through the state legislature, SB 5073. The bill regulates dispensaries and gives cannabis authorized patients greater protection of harassment from the police. It has passed a vote of the senate and may be voted on in the next two weeks by the house and then on to the governor’s desk.

We also know there is a statewide initiative circulating to legalize cannabis, Initiative 1149. We support that effort as well.

But in the mean time, the Tacoma Police Department is ready to pounce on dispensaries, the only place patients can get meds if they are unable to grow their own.

So why the city initiative now?

Because no matter what happens in the Washington State Legislature or with the statewide initiative, this city initiative gives law abiding patients in Tacoma immediate relief so dispensaries are not harassed by the police.

The initiative is filed. The officials are on notice. The sooner we get the signatures, the louder we send the message.

The goal is to collect 6,500 signatures by July 5, 2011.

The Cannabis Reform Act campaign has a plan to collect the necessary signatures by the July 5 deadline so voters in Tacoma can support this initiative with a yes vote on November 8, 2011.

To help, please click on the volunteer page and fill out the form. We promise not to share our list with anyone and promise that you will only be contacted about this initiative.

We are a grassroots campaign made up of volunteers. Though we are donating our time, there are costs associated with running a professional campaign.

We are asking people to support The Cannabis Reform Act by making donations of less than $50.00 so you will remain anonymous. Costs like web site hosting (which we would like to upgrade) and a plan for yard signs need your support. You can help anonymously and without the fear of retribution.

Onward to the ballot! For more news Cannabis news, check out JustBlazed for all the updates on the Cannabis Reform Act, entertainment, and marijuana culture.