By Dio Alexander | Lynnwood Times Staff
The rivalry between Washington and Oregon is deep. Be it the Huskies eating the Ducks for lunch or arguing which progressivism is more progressive, I wouldn’t put it past us Washingtonians to try and legalize recreational cocaine statewide next year just to outdo our southern neighbors.
Oregon voted on Election Day to decriminalize petty possession of ALL illegal drugs, including heroin, meth, and cocaine. This leaves how federal agencies will enforce existing drug laws up in the air. One thing is clear, though: The Beaver State is soon to become a favorite destination for twilight partiers, west coast elites, and political movers and shakers.
The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 bans those drugs as high potential for abuse. However, congressional acts didn’t stop Washingtonians from flipping the bird to the feds and voting to pass I-692 in 1998, which legalized medical marijuana use. That paved the way for I-502 passing in 2012, legalizing recreational use.
If you think logical inconsistencies abound in US drug laws and how they relate to Washington, you wouldn’t be wrong. Despite Mary Jane’s legalization statewide, Lynnwood residents have been unable to purchase the Devil’s Lettuce within city limits for the past six years.
In Lynnwood, everybody CAN get stoned…they just can’t buy their reefer within city limits. That’s because Lynnwood has moratoriums on marijuana sales, although the city council is currently deliberating on revising those moratoriums.
A 2014 six-month ordinance rolled into a 2015 ordinance prohibiting the retail sale, production, and processing of marijuana and marijuana-infused products, as well as medical marijuana collective gardens.
Although 2019 zoning regulations were amended to prohibit these activities within the Lynnwood City Center, 16 cannabis retailers are within six miles of Lynnwood City Hall.
It really doesn’t make sense. Either prohibit marijuana use and sale within city limits altogether or permit both use and sale within city limits.
Seattle became the first major city in the US to ban plastic straws in July 2018. How about that Portland? The ban’s intent was to promote more environmentally conscious options to plastic, like paper straws.
But are paper straws better for snorting cocaine? One would have to consult their street pharmacist on corners of Highway 99 to provide an objective assessment, as there are no legal cocaine retailers for comment in Washington state.
All things considered, Washington drug laws are confusing and if Washington goes the way of Oregon, 2021 could be quite the interesting year, indeed.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
