Jodie Emery at Washington state legalization bill press conference, March 16th 2011

Jodie Emery gave testimony on Wednesday March 16th at a Washington State Legislature work session for House Bill 1550, which would have legalized, taxed and regulated marijuana for adults.

HB 1550, introduced by Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, would allow adults over 21 to purchase cannabis from licensed liquor stores, or grow their own at home. It also legalizes industrial hemp manufacturing and decriminalizes cannabis for 18 to 21-year-olds.

Jodie Emery testified about the financial and societal benefits of legalizing marijuana and her husband Marc Emery's extradition and 5-year US prison sentence.

Marc Emery's original prosecutor in the Western District of Washington, John McKay, also testified in favour of the bill. He began advocating for legalization after observing the failure of prohibition and being dismissed as US Attorney by George Bush in 2007, and having prosecuted Marc Emery.

Watch video of Jodie Emery's testimony here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhOFHovg0Og

Read about John McKay's recent sponsorship of a legalization bill, in the news today (June 21st, 2011) here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015387076_apwalegalizingmari...

Former Seattle U.S. attorney pushes pot legalization
By GENE JOHNSON
Associated Press
June 21, 2011

SEATTLE — A man who once served as the Justice Department's top official in Seattle said Tuesday that he is sponsoring an initiative to legalize and tax marijuana in Washington state, a measure he hopes will help "shame Congress" into ending pot prohibition.

John McKay spent five years enforcing federal drug laws as the U.S. attorney in Seattle before he was fired by the Bush administration in early 2007. He told The Associated Press on Tuesday that laws criminalizing marijuana are wrongheaded because they create an enormous black market exploited by international cartels and crime rings.

"That's what drives my concern: The black market fuels the cartels, and that's what allows them to buy the guns they use to kill people," McKay said. "A lot of Americans smoke pot and they're willing to pay for it. I think prohibition is a dumb policy, and there are a lot of line federal prosecutors who share the view that the policy is suspect."

McKay is joining Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes, travel guide Rick Steves and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington in pushing an initiative to the Legislature that would regulate the recreational use of marijuana in a way similar to how the state regulates alcohol. Their bill would legalize marijuana for people over 21, authorize the Liquor Control Board to regulate and tax marijuana for sale in "standalone stores," and extend drunken driving laws to marijuana, with blood tests to determine how much of pot's active ingredient is present in a driver's blood.

Activists would have until the end of this year to gather more than 240,000 signatures to get the initiative before the Legislature. Lawmakers will have a chance to approve it or allow it to go to the ballot.

Taxing marijuana sales would bring the state $215 million a year, conservatively estimated, Holmes said.

In a telephone interview from Idaho, where he was about to leave on a six-day rafting trip on the Salmon River, McKay said he has long considered marijuana prohibition a failed policy, but that as U.S. attorney his job was to enforce federal law, and he had no problem doing so. Among the people he prosecuted was Canada's so-called "Prince of Pot," Marc Emery, who fought extradition after his 2005 arrest but eventually was sentenced to five years in prison for selling millions of marijuana seeds to U.S. residents.

"When you look at alcohol prohibition, it took the states to say, `This policy is wrong,'" McKay said. "This bill might not be perfect, but it's a good step forward. I think it will eventually shame Congress into action."

Holmes said McKay's involvement in the legalization effort helps demonstrate its sensibility.

"Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, in law enforcement or a medical provider, you look at the data and you come to the same conclusion: The war on drugs has failed," he said.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• jodie
• emery
• marc
• washington
• state
• legalization
• bill
• press
• conference
• speech
• interview
• congress
• medical
• marijuana
• usa

[MrCoocon]

Free Marc Emery

[mcnowski]

We love you Jodie, your strength means so much to us.

[tyrannynotever]

She's from Canada? GO HOME CANADIAN POT HEAD FREAK!!!!

[adrianskelton9]

people locking people up for growing a plant, how is that justice? they cause much more damage to society than people who freely choose to smoke cannabis. messed up world

[LetArtsLive]

amen to this you got more gonads than Ive ever seen.God bless you.This is the new prohibition.If more people spoke out like you green would be free.

[anrchydog]

I don't meen Mormon I ment norml my phone is weird

[anrchydog]

Also I don't feel srry for marc, I don't like self marderdom, it in itself is selfish, he acts as if he's making a difference in America for being in prison but dude marc u aren't being listened to, Canada yes is listening you have that!!!!! So marc emery incarceration really to me is a non-issue, because I don't even see Mormon doing much for legalizing weed, I know where I live in stl,mo ppl smoke like its legal, u get pulled over they let u go with your weed!

[anrchydog]

Okay do I feel weed should be legal yes, but what marc emerge did was give away his position, he said and in the way he said it was like inviting a rapist into your home and say yes you can have sex with my wife infront of my children, his words where these, I sell marijuana seed to Americans and I'm proud of it, I hope I they give me the punish me, and then he gets busted and expects everyone to drop what the doing and start acting like this was so unexpected, he gave himself a 10year sentence!

[TheMirdoc]

Jodie Emery is a REAL WIFE. love you

[Nigga33Nigga33]

Jodie is smart as hell, it's completely illogical go disagree with anything she said.

[AmericanCritiquer]

I suspect the guy to the right of Jodie is a public official because he seemed to have gotten exited about the taxes and looked over to his buddy! 1:16

[heroesandcons09]

420