Marijuana News.

On Election Day, Question 7 lost 44%-56%.

Although we are all disappointed that Question 7 didn't pass, we can all be proud in knowing that we've made remarkable progress. We've gained significant ground over Question 9, the 2002 marijuana regulation initiative, which lost 39%-61%. In fact, more than four in 10 Nevada voters actually voted to end marijuana prohibition entirely.

And we could never have made this progress without all of our supporters. I want to thank our wonderful staff, everyone who volunteered, everyone who cheered us on, and especially everyone who voted for Question 7. Your efforts were not in vain, and you helped us make a huge step forward.

Thank you, once again, for all you have done.

Sincerely,
Neal

Olympia, WA: A coalition of House lawmakers have introduced legislation that seeks to legalize and regulate the "production, distribution, and sale" of marijuana to adults.

As introduced, House Bill 1550 would allow for the state-authorized cultivation and distribution of marijuana and marijuana-related products. "[T]he legislature intends to promote commerce and competition within Washington by eliminating penalties for the possession and consumption of cannabis, regulating and taxing the sale of cannabis by state government, and licensing cannabis growers," it states.

The measure has been referred to the House Committee on Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, which rejected a similar measure last year by a 6 to 2 vote.

"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," stated the bill's lead sponsor, Democrat Mary Lou Dickerson.

According to a 2010 analysis by the Washington state Office of Financial Management, legalizing and taxing marijuana sales could yield over $300 million in new revenue per biennium. Proponents also argue that passage of the act could also result in an additional estimated $25 million per year in law enforcement savings.

Similar legalization measures are expected to be introduced in other states later this year, including California and Massachusetts.

For more information on this measure, please visit NORML's Take Action Center, or visit the Washington state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) at: http://www.aclu-wa.org/issues/drug-policy.

Denver, CO: An analysis of Denver crime statistics for 2010 contradicts claims that the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries are associated with elevated incidences of criminal activity.

According to a Denver Post story published this week: "A Denver police analysis completed late last year of areas around dispensaries showed that the number of crimes in those pockets dropped in the first nine months of 2010 compared with the same period in 2009. The drop, 8.2 percent, was marginally less than the city's overall drop in crime of 8.8 percent, according to police."

A separate Denver Post analysis of citywide crime crimes committed in the first 11 months of 2010 found that "some Denver neighborhoods with the highest concentration of dispensaries per capita saw a bigger decrease in crimes than did some neighborhoods with no dispensaries."

Over 800 state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries presently operate in Colorado. The highest concentration of these facilities is in Denver.

Previous analyses have also failed to find any association between the proliferation of medical cannabis dispensaries and elevated crime rates. For example, a 2010 review by the Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper reported, "[P]olice have yet to find a correlation between the city's approximately 175 pot shops and increased crime."

A similar 2009 review of Los Angeles crime data also failed to establish a positive link between medical marijuana facilities and crime.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at: (202) 483-5500.