Rick was both a principal sponsor and a major financial supporter of the successful Washington state marijuana legalization initiative approved by the voters of his state in 2012, making Washington, along with Colorado, the first two states to end criminal prohibition and replace it with a legal regulated system.
“[L]egalization in Colorado is associated with an increase of nearly 51,000 hotel rooms rented per month [and] once commercial sale is permitted, there is an increase of almost 120,000 room rentals per month.”
“Times have changed; attitudes have changed, and in many places, the marijuana laws have changed. It is time for workplace policies to adapt to this new reality.”
Investigators from Department of Justice and Criminology at Washington State University reported, “Our results from Colorado and Washington suggest that legalization has not had major detrimental effects on public safety.”
Commenting on the policy change, NORML Political Associate Tyler McFadden said: “Employment protections are critical to ensure that law-abiding adults are not unduly discriminated against in their efforts to be productive members of society solely because of their use of cannabis while off the job. This order provides clarity and guidance to employers and peace of mind to the employees who work in the District of Columbia.”
The Act states, “A public employer may not refuse to hire, terminate from employment, penalize, fail to promote, or otherwise take adverse employment action against an individual based upon the individual’s status as a qualifying patient.”
House and Senate lawmakers this week approved legislation, Senate Bill 5605, facilitating the expungement of past low-level marijuana convictions. The legislation now awaits action by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who has previously called for pardoning those with criminal records for marijuana violations.
The passage of statewide adult use marijuana laws is associated with an immediate uptick in housing prices, according to an assessment published by the online service Clever Real Estate. It reported, “Using Colorado and Washington as case studies, it’s clear that the market benefits from marijuana legalization outweigh the potential costs in terms of home values.”