To the editor:

Signatures gathered on Whidbey Island to place Initiative 1068, the Marijuana Reform Act, on the November election ballot have now passed the goal set for Whidbey.

With 3½ weeks left to circulate petitions, this all-volunteer effort has now collected over 6,500 signatures on Whidbey, well over the Whidbey goal of 5,000 for the entire campaign. The volunteers who have been circulating petitions can be proud of their efforts to reform marijuana laws in Washington.

I-1068 removes all civil and criminal penalties for possession, cultivation or transportation of marijuana for people 18 years old and older, except for driving under the influence. If enough signatures are collected statewide, the initiative will be on the November General Election ballot. The voters will then decide whether nearly 8,000 people a year should be arrested for marijuana offenses in Washington, nearly all of them for simple possession; whether police should be free to concentrate on more serious matters; and whether hundreds of millions of dollars should go to taxes instead of criminal drug cartels.

Petitions for the Marijuana Reform Act may be signed by any Washington state voter at the following locations: Thrasher’s Tattoo, Walmart (noon to 6 p.m. Fridays) and the Thursday public market in Oak Harbor; Toby’s Tavern in Coupeville; the Greenbank Store; Neil’s Clover Patch Café in Bayview; Langley Brewing (back of the firehouse), Living Green and Mukilteo Coffee (Crawford Road) in Langley; and Pickle’s Deli at Ken’s Korner; Matt’s Import Haven and Bailey’s Corner Store in Clinton. And if you’re waiting in the Mukilteo ferry line, Diamond Knot Ale House.

If you’d like to volunteer to help end marijuana prohibition in Washington, contact me at Sensible.Wa.Whidbey@gmail.com or 579-2332.

Steve Erickson

I-1068 Whidbey Area Coordinator