Rep. Dickerson says that legalizing marijuana could generate $400 million per biennium for the state. “Subjecting cannabis to a licensed, regulated system would not only improve public health and safety, it would generate hundreds of millions of dollars for health care at a time when Washington’s budget is being decimated,” said Dr. William Robertson, founder of the Washington Poison Control Center.
Under the bill, cannabis would be sold through state liquor stores with growers applying for a license through the Liquor Control Board. The LCB, according to a press release, has a 96 percent success rate in preventing alcohol sales to minors.“Drug cartels and black-market dealers have made it easier for kids to get cannabis than alcohol,” Dickerson said. “The Liquor Control Board has a proven track record of shielding kids from its products. I’m confident our bill will break the back of cannabis crime-syndicate profits and make it possible to preserve vital health services across Washington in these very difficult budget times.”
In 2010, Dickerson submitted a similar bill, HB 2401, which didn’t make it past the Committee on Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness.
The bill, according to Kohl-Welles, reflects the tenth iteration since she first released it last February, incorporating input from patients, providers, advocates, health professionals, government officials, legislators, and law enforcement representatives.
The resulting legislation, Senate Bill 5073 (.pdf) and House Bill 1100 (.pdf), if made into law, would establish a regulatory system for the sale and purchase of medical marijuana to qualified patients.
Current law established under voter-approved I-692 in 1998 permits patients with specified terminal or debilitating medical conditions to grow medical marijuana for personal use or designate a provider to grow on their behalf. Legislation passed in 2007 resulted in the Department of Health setting the allowable amount of marijuana for medical use, and a measure passed last year allows all health professionals having prescriptive authority to authorize medical marijuana.
Under the new bill, the Department of Agriculture would develop regulations through a public rule-making process for growing medical marijuana. And, patients would be permitted to purchase medical marijuana products from dispensers licensed by the Department of Health or by taking part in a regulated patient collective.
“There is much ambiguity around our state’s current medical marijuana laws that is resulting in inconsistent enforcement throughout the state,” Kohl-Welles said in a statement Tuesday. “Creating a statutory and regulatory structure for licensing growers and dispensaries will allow us to provide for an adequate, safe, consistent, and secure source of the medicine for qualifying patients, address public safety concerns and establish statewide uniformity in the implementation of the law.”
Under the new legislation legally compliant patients and growers would be protected from arrest, search, and prosecution for the use of medical cannabis. The bill would also require law enforcement to consult a voluntary registry of patients before conducting warrantless searches or arrests, and registered patients would be protected against search and seizure, unless existing evidence indicated criminal activity was taking place.
Updated 9 a.m. While the U.S. Senate race between Patty Murray and Dino Rossi remains too close to call this morning, Murray (D) still holds an edge. In our U.S. congressional district, Jim McDermott (D), as is customary, was reelected easily with 81% of the vote.
Here in the 36th District, state house incumbent Mary Lou Dickerson (D) won handily with 79% of the vote, and state senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D) all but swept with 82%. Next door in the 43rd District (Fremont and Wallingford), incumbent Frank Chopp (D) won with 84%. Our area here in North Seattle historically votes Democrat, in fact, it’s one of the bluest areas of the state.
The state income tax was voted down, as well as both liquor initiatives. You can get the full results on SeattleTimes.com right here.
Voters in the 36th District appear to have given overwhelming approval to the incumbents in the 2010 Primary Election. With the most recent numbers released Tuesday evening by the Washington Secretary of State, all three state legislators from our district are way ahead in the polls.
State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles currently has 82.77 percent of the votes while her challenger Leslie Klein has 17.23 percent. In position 2 for State Representative from the 36th District, Mary Lou Dickerson has 79.51 percent of the votes to challenger Jill England who has 20.49 percent. Reuven Carlyle, who is unopposed has received 100 percent of the votes for State Representative, Position 1.
In Washington’s Top 2 Primary, the top two vote getters will move on to the General Election on November 2. You can find all the election results here. The numbers will continue to change as more ballots are counted. According to the Secretary of State’s website, “By law, September 1, 2010 is the last day for county canvassing boards to certify results; September 7, 2010 is the last day for the Office of the Secretary of State to certify Primary returns.”
36th District Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles has been honored by Seattle Against Slavery with the Lincoln Freedom Award for her efforts and accomplishments in preventing human trafficking.
Kohl-Welles has been working on the issue since 2002 with the enactment of her bill regulating the mail-order-bride industry. She most recently sponsored a bill, which was signed into law, which authorizes the Department of Transportation to work with human trafficking advocates to place informational posters on trafficking at rest areas throughout out state. Another bill which she sponsored, and also signed into law, strengthens 2009 legislation that required international labor recruiters and domestic employers of foreign workers to disclose federal and state labor laws to non-immigrant workers.
“The legislative accomplishments we have made over the years would have never come about without the tireless work from advocates and community organizations,” Kohl-Welles said. “The fact that this award comes from them, makes it even more special.”
Today, Thursday, June 10 Washington’s new texting while driving law–‘Text Talk Ticket‘–went into effect. Under this new law police officers will be able to pull over anyone they see holding a cell phone to their ear or texting while behind the wheel, and slap them with a $124 fine (could be more if the distraction causes an accident). The law also restricts teens with intermediate licenses or learners permits from using a cell phone at all while driving, even with a wireless device, unless they are calling to report an emergency.
This law is the culmination of years of work by supporters, including 36th District Rep and Queen Anne resident Reuven Carlyle, who has been pushing to make cell phone use while driving a primary offense for some time. Perhaps the youngest supporter was Coe Elementary 5th grader Noah Sarkowsky, who recently traveled to Olympia to share his experiences as a school crossing guard and help pass the bill.
I spoke with Noah’s mother, Stacy Lawson, about her son’s experiences. She said Noah frequently witnessed drivers by Coe who seemed more interested in their phones than the children around them.
“Noah had had many stories about what happened when people were texting or talking on their phone while dropping their kids off or driving by the school,” Stacy said. “Five seconds looking down on your phone increases the chance of an accident.”
Community member and former speechwriter for President Clinton, Lowell Weiss of Cascade Philanthropy Advisors, got involved in the campaign this last year, and suggested that Noah bring his testimony to Olympia.
“I am a daily bike commuter, and I also bike with my son to Coe every morning. I finally got fed up with all the people I saw paying more attention to their phones than to the road or us,” Weiss wrote. “My day job is helping donors turn their passion into effective action. And yet for years I had a passion around the cellphone-driving issue and was doing no more than shouting into the wind. Last summer I finally decided to use my day-job skills to try to make a difference.”
After being referred to an article about a school crossing guard’s eye witnesses experiences and her subsequent perspective on the dangers of cellphone driving by the head of pediatrics at Harborview Medical Center, Dr. Brian Johnston, Weiss decided to reach out to Noah and see if he had any similar stories.
“Dr. Johnston asked whether I could find someone like that here in Seattle. I immediately though of Noah, who is the brother of one of my son’s good friends. I called Noah and asked him whether he had had any bad experiences with distracted drivers. He told me he had almost been hit right in front of Coe. Noah and Stacy were eager to help this cause. So I drove down to Olympia with Noah, and he did a wonderful job!” Weiss wrote.
“He spoke before the house and the senate, and there was one senator in particular who’s name I can’t remember at this moment, changed his mind because of Noah’s testimony. He had never made the connection between a school child and this issue,” Lawson said. “It all happened at the right time, and finally, they decided to push it through.”
“I could tell that his testimony resonated with many representatives and senators. Noah did a great public service!” Weiss wrote.
Still Weiss clarifies that the point of this law is not to encourage drivers to use hands-free devices like Bluetooth headsets. “The evidence shows that Bluetooth and other wireless devices are just as dangerous as handheld phones. The real message is: “Park your Phone!” Weiss wrote.
See a fact sheet on the dangers of cell phone driving put together by the Driven to Distractions Task Forcehere (.pdf). Read a Q&A about the law with supporters Sen. Tracy Eide and Rep. Reuven Carlyle here (.pdf). Click here for more information on the new law, and tell us what you think: are you for the new policy?
36th District Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles will be discussing marijuana policy at a Town Hall meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m. tonight. Even if you can’t make it you can watch the talk, part of Seattle Channel’s “Seattle Speaks” program, live and streaming below.
36th District Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle) has been spearheading the effort to expand medical marijuana law in Washington State, resulting in a bill which was signed by Governor Gregoire last month that will provide improved access to medical marijuana for residents with terminal or debilitating conditions. At 7 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, May 19, Kohl-Welles will be participating in a Town Hall discussion on marijuana policy, as part of Seattle Channel’s “Seattle Speaks” program. Other speakers include Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes and ACLU-WA Drug Policy Director Alison Holcomb. The event will be held at Town Hall, located at 1119 8th Ave and is free to the public. Can’t make it? Seattle Channel will be broadcasting the discussion live on their website.
Just a reminder that the 36th District legislators Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson and Rep. Reuven Carlyle are hosting a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. tonight, Monday, April 19, at the Q Café, located at 3223 15th Ave West in Interbay.
At the meeting Kohl-Welles, Dickerson and Carlyle will be discussing the 2010 legislative session and how current legislation will affect the 36th District, which includes Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, Belltown, Fremont, Phinney Ridge, Greenwood and Blue Ridge. There will also be time set aside for a Q&A with community members. More information here.
Governor Gregoire has signed into law a bill spearheaded by 36th District Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle). The new law grants Washingtonians with terminal or debilitating medical conditions improved access to medical marijuana. “With this bill we honor our state’s commitment to relieving some pain and suffering for thousands of Washingtonians,” said Kohl-Welles, the primary sponsor for SB 5798.
This new law expands on the 1998 voter-approved I-692 which first allowed MDs and osteopaths to authorize the use of medical marijuana. The new law extends the authority to prescribe medical marijuana to other licensed health professionals such as naturopathic doctors, advanced registered nurse practitioners, physician assistants and osteopathic physician assistants. These professionals are already authorized to prescribe controlled substances.
During the next legislative session, Senator Kohl-Welles plans to do more work on medical marijuana issues. “Most unfortunately, this small protection is not enough. In the last month we have seen attacks on medical marijuana patients and providers. Next session, I will build on this year’s progress by working to provide full legal protection for medical marijuana patients and designated providers who work within the law,” Kohl-Welles said.
Read the entire SB 5798 as it was signed by Gov. Gregoire here (.pdf).
This isn’t in Queen Anne, but it relates to our legislative district and is pretty interesting: Tonight is the Grammas for Ganja public forum in Ballard. The executive director for Grammas for Ganja, Jeanne Black-Ferguson, will be hosting the event which she hopes will raise awareness surrounding marijuana law reform. As an advocate for the use of medical marijuana, 36th District Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles will be attending the event. During this legislative session, Sen. Kohl-Welles sponsored Senate Bill 5798, which passed both the state house and senate and has been delivered to Governor Gregoire’s desk (bill as it passed in the Legislature .pdf.)
During tonight’s public event, Dr. Sunil Aggarwal from the University of Washington will be talking about the medical aspects of Cannabis and Jacqueline Merringer, Manager/Buyer of “Terra Hemp” in Wallingford, a natural fiber clothing and accessory store will speak about the various uses for the plant. 36th District Representative Reuven Carlyle was also invited to attend but his staff has informed us that he cannot make it.
The event will be held tonight from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Ballard House Community Room (2445 NW 57th St.)
Queen Anne resident and 36th District Rep. Reuven Carlyle has been throwing support behind House Bill 2561, which if passed would raise $850 from a state bond and allocate it to clean energy construction improvements to schools and universities statewide and create 38,000 “well paying jobs.”
Yesterday he spoke on the House floor in support of the bill, citing a current pilot project at McClure Middle School that he helped secure a million dollars in funding for last year. The project called for an energy audit of the school that identified energy and cost-savings improvements that will begin to be made to the 1960s era building after the current academic term ends this summer. According to Reuven, these improvements are not only necessary to maintaining the infrastructure of Seattle Public Schools–they also provide an extreme value add for the state. Here are some choice excerpts from his speech.
“This is a city that is a net exporter of education tax dollars, in fact in state property taxes received 37 cents for every dollar that it sends to Olympia. And we have a school–600 kids–who walk around in jackets. And they’re cold.”
“Parents and community leaders and students and faculty and teachers and the principal, Sarah Pritchett got together and sat down…and they did an analysis of this very building, McClure Middle School, and that analysis found that for a million dollar investment we could get a return on investment from a financial perspective that was extraordinary.”
“This pilot project is successful. It’s a return on investment that makes sense.”
Read more on the McClure Middle School pilot project here.
Three years ago, two Ballard seventh-graders Audrey Long and Theresa Edwards, met with 36th District Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle) with the idea of a bill to curb puppy mills. Last year, Senate Bill 5561 was signed into law, creating rules for kennel owners. This year, the state senator who represents Queen Anne, Ballard, Magnolia and Phinney Ridge/Greenwood has been named “Legislator of the Year” by the Humane Society of the United States for her tireless efforts to help animals. “I could not be more honored to receive this award, especially as it came from the national organization representing millions of members throughout the country.” Kohl-Welles said, “The Humane Society is an organization whose work I greatly admire.”
The new law “prohibits an individual from possessing more than 50 non-neutered dogs older than 6 months at one time. The bill also set standards for kennel size, exercise, sanitary conditions, and basic care,” the press release sent out by the Washington State Democrats states.
As the 2010 Legislative Session begins, state Reps. Mary Lou Dickerson and Reuven Carlyle want to hear from you! The two Seattle lawmakers and 36th district legislators are holding a telephone-town hall next Tuesday, January 19 at 6:30 p.m. and will be calling an estimated 30,000 homes in the district, inviting them to stay on the line and participate. Carlyle and Dickerson will be giving opening thoughts (see here and here for some of their plans and ideas for the 2010 session), while the majority of the tele-town hall will be allocated to taking questions from constituents. If you don’t receive a call, you may dial-in directly by calling 877-229-8493 and entering the code 15354. Once on the line, participants may ask a question by hitting *3. (Reuven Carlyle is a sponsor of QueenAnneView.com).
36th District Rep Reuven Carlyle has announced he will be hosting four coffee hours around the district on Saturday, January 9 in order to meet with community members before the start of the upcoming legislative session on Monday, January 11.
“The Legislature convenes on January 11 and we’re again facing a massive deficit of nearly $3 billion,” Carlyle said in a press release today. “It’s critical that I hear from our community directly about your views, issues, concerns and thoughts on the budget, taxes, education and other important issues. I’m asking people to reach out and share your views so I can better represent you in Olympia during these difficult times.”
Coffee hour times and locations:
Crown Hill: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Caffé Fioré (3125 W 85th St.)
Greenwood: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Herkimer (7320 Greenwood Ave. N)
Magnolia: 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Serendipity (3222 W McGraw St.)
Queen Anne: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Caffé Fioré (224 W Galer St.)
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Reps. Mary Lou Dickerson and Reuven Carlyle have invited the community to come speak with them about the upcoming 2010 legislative session, which begins on January 11, 2010, at the 36th District Legislative Delegation Holiday Open House tomorrow, Tuesday, December 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. The party is being held at Sen. Kohl-Welles’ and Rep. Carlyle’s district office at 3131 Western Ave, Suite 421, in the Northwest Work Lofts building at the base of Queen Anne. Refreshments will be served, while constituents will have a chance to voice questions and concerns.
To read up on what’s in store for the upcoming session, check out our story last week on Rep. Dickerson’s bill that would legalize marijuana, and Rep. Carlyle’s thoughts on budget reform.
Free and pay street parking is available. Metro bus lines 1, 2, 8, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 24 and 33 connect to the office.
The 36th District Legislative Delegation is hosting a holiday open house from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15, and is inviting community members to join. The shindig will be held at 3131 Western Ave, Suite 421, in the Northwest Work Lofts building at the base of Queen Anne.
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Reps. Mary Lou Dickerson and Reuven Carlyle will present an overview of the 2010 legislative session, which begins on January 11, 2010. They’ll be answering constituent questions and concerns, and they’re even serving refreshments.
Free and pay street parking is available. Metro bus lines 1, 2, 8, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 24 and 33 connect to the meeting place, which is Sen. Kohl-Welles’ and Rep. Carlyle’s district office.
The meeting will address current issues surrounding the health care debate, and Keiser and Cody will discuss the potential impact of federal health reform efforts on Washington residents.
The public are invited to attend and participate in the meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, October 27 from 7-9 p.m. at the Ballard Swedish Medical Center (5300 Tallman Ave.), Room A on the 1st Floor.
For more information, contact Anne Burkland at (360) 786-7078 or Burkland.Anne@leg.wa.gov.
State Representative Reuven Carlyle, who serves the 36th District (Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, Belltown, Fremont, Phinney Ridge, Greenwood, and Blue Ridge), posted on his blog this week that he’s looking for “a top notch legislative aide.”
Reuven writes that he’s looking for “passion, spirit, energy and drive” to join the district upon the departure of Matt Gasparich, his current aide, who is leaving for the private sector.
He says the job is “fun, interesting, engaging, challenging, educational, frustrating, bureaucratic, insightful, invigorating, political, communicative, unique and meaningful,” despite a somewhat modest salary.
Reuven writes,
You’ll learn, grown, engage and make a difference for the people of the 36th and Washington. My kids would argue vociferously against this statement but I highly suspect I’m a ton of fun to work with in changing the world.
Read his whole blog post here for more information on the position, the 36th District, and how to apply.
See ratings and reviews of
36th District Representative Mary Lou Dickerson is once again calling on the state legislature to legalize marijuana. House Bill 1550, which was introduced this morning, would legalize the use of cannabis for adults age 21 and over.
On Tuesday 
36th District Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles has been honored by Seattle Against Slavery with the Lincoln Freedom Award for her efforts and accomplishments in preventing human trafficking.
Three years ago, two Ballard seventh-graders Audrey Long and Theresa Edwards, met with 36th District 
36th District Rep 