The bill to expand Washington’s medical marijuana law has passed the House after some late amendments were made to require tamper-proof authorizations (as a way to reduce fraud). After Senate re-approval, the bill will land on Governor Gregoire’s desk. The bill doesn’t address some of the major flaws in the medical marijuana law (such as full arrest protection), but it does make it easier for people in rural areas to get authorizations.
One thing that’s interesting about this legislation is that the Cannabis Defense Coalition (a group I work with – and that I can truly attest works on a small budget) actually hired a lobbyist to make the case for this bill. I think it caught a lot of us by surprise how much can really get accomplished when you have someone effective in the halls of Olympia fighting on your behalf.
UDPATE: More news on the legislation here.
It’s sad that a small advocacy group has to hire a lobbyist to get any traction in Olympia. The individual citizen with a good idea isn’t listened to. You can’t get legislators’ attention unless you throw money at them or lobbyists.
Speaking of Lobbying..
The US Chamber of Commerce is doubling it’s 2008 Campaign Contributions to $200 MILLION for 2010 with all of it going to defeat Democrats!
When the Chamber hates your party…that makes you anti-business and anti-jobs.
http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....elections/
@2
What’s it mean when large profitable corporations break with the US chamber of Commerce? Or when government spends 6 or 8 years doing The Chambers bidding and we wind up in a big old recession?
@2 The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has always hated Democrats and we’re still here.
I’ve got a secret for ya, Klown. Pssst — don’t tell anyone — but there’s more workers than businessmen in this country. And we vote!
Lee,
As Puddy always sez, you get what you vote for. Since DUMMOCRAPTS run this state, you got what you voted for… legislative peeps who don’t listen to the common peeps.
THE DUMB BUNNY pelleted:
Yep, Scott Brown was a recipient of that in Massachusetts THE DUMB BUNNY. Now you see the outcome of the will of the people.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Maybe the House should hire a lobbyist for the DUMMOCRAPT Senate Leader Harry Reid…
“The House has a right to be skeptical. They have almost 300 bills they’ve passed somewhere lost in the Senate.” Turban Dick Durbin.
Not every lobbyist is working for fat cat companies. Lots of small organizations hire jointly lobbyists, particularly human service providers and other non-profit agencies. As Goldy points out, it doesn’t take a huge budget to make something happen in Olympia, but it’s a heck of a lot easier when you have someone with a bit of expertise to help you focus your message and make certain the right people are hearing it.
I’m very happy the medical marijuana revisions passed. It’s another incremental step toward the end of prohibition and the beginning of regulation and taxation that will ultimately reduce the crime rate associated with the illegal drug business.
Since we are on the subject of lobbying……..
Will someone please lobby for either the death penalty or mandatory life sentence with no parole for first time child molestors/rapists/killers. One offense, and your DONE. PERIOD.
How many more fucking times are we going to hear about child molestors with repeat offenses being let loose on society – only to find out that they have continued to molest kids(or worse, kill them).
I am refering to the most recent news about the sick fuck in california and the two missing kids they found over the last week…..same goes for the “dating game” killer. That fuck should have been offed 40 years ago.
enough is enough.
@6 “As Puddy always sez, you get what you vote for.”
If that were true, LBJ wouldn’t have sent combat troops to Vietnam in 1965, Nixon would have got out of Vietnam in 1969 instead of expanding and escalating the war, Bush Sr. wouldn’t have raised taxes, Clinton wouldn’t have backed NAFTA, we would have had state tax reform long ago, and we would have had national healthcare reform by now.
Puddy, we don’t get what we vote for, we get what Corporate America pays lobbyists and politicians for. The individual voter doesn’t count in this country anymore, and it’s questionable that he ever did. Our government is a wholly-owned subsidiary of business and monied interests.
@9 “Will someone please lobby for either the death penalty or mandatory life sentence with no parole for first time child molestors/rapists/killers. One offense, and your DONE. PERIOD.”
Been there, tried that. One of the big reasons it doesn’t happen is because a large percentage of child molesters are relatives and nobody wants to send their Funny Uncle to the Big House.
Right THE DUMB BUNNY. We get what Goldman Sachs approves as DUMMOCRAPTS…
thats not a good enough reason.
@12 I don’t entirely disagree with you. I’d prefer health care consumers want instead of health care insurance and drug companies and the health industry wants. But we have to take what we can get.
Dummocrapts must mean Republicans. I give you Mr. Henry Paulson.
I have two major problems with the death penalty.
1) Death penalty cases tend to be very expensive.
2) When you’ve killed an innocent person it is very hard to correct your mistake.
GBS farted
GBS, you must elevate your game. Puddy proved before 2002 Paulsen gave to DUMMOCRAPTS more than Republicans. Ask the arschloch to replay the link. How about Geithner…
Also for a tickle from 2009… “Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner picked a former Goldman Sachs lobbyist as a top aide Tuesday, the same day he announced rules aimed at reducing the role of lobbyists in agency decisions.”
Here’s another tickle from 2009… “Lawrence H. Summers, one of President Obama’s top economic advisers, collected roughly $5.2 million in compensation from hedge fund D.E. Shaw over the past year and was paid more than $2.7 million in speaking fees by several troubled Wall Street firms and other organizations”$135,000 for a one day visit to Goldman Sachs too.
Puddy placed all this info on HA Libtardos GBS. Too bad 24 hour libtardo disease has manifested itself in you!