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50 Gonz. L. Rev. 239 (2014-2015)
Introduction: Legalization of Marijuana in Washington State

handle is hein.journals/gonlr50 and id is 271 raw text is: INTRODUCTION LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA IN WASHINGTON STATE Bob Ferguson Washington State Attorney General When I was in law school, debates about marijuana policy were largely on the fringes, and certainly not the stuff of scholarly law review articles. Times have changed. Almost half of the states in the U.S. now authorize the production, use, and possession of marijuana for medical purposes.' Many states have reduced or eliminated sanctions related to personal use of marijuana.2 And a handful of states-Washington, Alaska, Colorado, and Oregon-now regulate the production and sale of marijuana to allow recreational use by adults. Washington voters have been on the forefront of these changes. Washington voters first voted to allow the medical use of marijuana by enacting Initiative 692 in 1998. That measure created an affirmative defense 1. The following states have adopted medical marijuana laws: Alaska (Ballot Measure 8 (1998)), Arizona (Proposition 203 (2010)), California (Proposition 215 (1996)), Colorado (Ballot Amendment 20 (2000)), Connecticut (House Bill 5389 (2012)), Delaware (Senate Bill 17 (2011)), Hawaii (Senate Bill 862 (2000)), Illinois (House Bill 1 (2013)), Maine (Ballot Question 2 (1999)), Massachusetts (Ballot Question 3 (2012)), Michigan (Proposal 1 (2008)), Montana (Initiative 148 (2004)), Nevada (Ballot Question 9 (2000)), New Hampshire (House Bill 573 (2013)), New Jersey (Senate Bill 119 (2010)), New Mexico (Senate Bill 523 (2007)), Oregon (Ballot Measure 67 (1998)), Rhode Island (Senate Bill 0710 (2006)), Vermont (Senate Bill 76 (2004)), and Washington (Initiative 692 (1998)). Maryland recently passed two medical marijuana-related laws. HB 1101 (2013) and HB 180 (2013). State Info, NAT'L ORG. FOR REFORM OF MARIJUANA LAWS, http://norni.org/states (last visited Mar. 25, 2015). 2. Possession of limited amounts of marijuana intended for personal use is classified as a sub-misdemeanor offense or decriminalized offense subject to no jail time in the following states: Alaska, California, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi (first offense only), Nebraska (first offense only), New Jersey, New York (first and second offenses only), Rhode Island, and Vermont. In addition, the following states do not require jail time for possession of marijuana for personal use, despite continuing to classify the offense as a misdemeanor: Minnesota, Nevada (first and second offenses only), North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon. See State Info, NAT'L ORG. FOR REFORM OF MARIJUANA LAWS, http://norml.org/states (last visited Mar. 25, 2015); Marijuana Policy in the States, MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT, http://www.mpp.org/states/ (last visited Mar. 25, 2015).

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