Marijuana legalization in Washington has been an activist’s pipe dream for decades, but a new campaign with deep pockets and prominent supporters is poised to force the state Legislature to vote on the issue or send it to the 2012 presidential ballot. But absent from the list are some longtime advocates of legalization. In fact, a growing group of activists is pledging to campaign against New Approach’s Initiative 502 if it makes it to the ballot.
In a bid to sway skeptical voters, I-502 would continue to ban pot possession for people under the age of 21 and set a new standard for driving while stoned, based on saliva tests of recently consumed THC. Questions about the science behind that test, as well as the mechanics of the state regulation, drove Vivian McPeak, co-founder of Hempfest, to oppose I-502. ”I cannot, in good conscience, support New Approach Washington,” he said this week.