I noticed a funny thing about The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act. This is legislation that would allow states to set marijuana policy free from federal interference. It has an impressive set of bi-partisan co-sponsors that include Representatives Dana Rohrabacher [R-CA], Justin Amash [R-MI], Earl Blumenauer [D-OR], Steve Cohen [D-TN], Jared Polis [D-CO], and Don Young [R-AK]. Aside from Rep. Cohen, each representative comes from a state that has established either medical marijuana or marijuana legalization contrary to federal law.
The funny thing is, I see none of Washington State’s ten representatives on the list of co-sponsors.
This isn’t an issue they can duck as being too Democrat or too Republican. You couldn’t find two congressmen further apart on the political spectrum than Oregon’s bowtied bicycle enthusiast Rep. Blumenauer and Alaska’s protector of the Bridge to Nowehere, Rep. Young.
It’s not as if their constituents wouldn’t support them. Fifty-five percent of them chose to make marijuana legal in 2012. Fifty-nine percent of them chose to make medical use legal in 1998. And nationwide, we find that 60% of the people support the aims of the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act.
The ACLU of Washington has set up a handy tool for reaching out to Washington’s congressional delegation. There must be one out of ten who will represent the majority of Washington and stand to protect them from Washington DC for determining their own marijuana policies.
