SEATTLE (AP) — A second former top federal prosecutor in Seattle has endorsed an effort to legalize and tax marijuana for recreational use in Washington state.
Kate Pflaumer (FLAW’-mer) served as U.S. attorney during President Bill Clinton’s administration. In a guest editorial in The Seattle Times (http://bit.ly/ubvvkg ) on Saturday, she and two former judges endorsed a plan being pushed by a group called New Approach Washington. It calls for legalizing up to an ounce of marijuana, which would be sold and taxed at special stores.
John McKay, who was U.S. attorney during the administration of President George W. Bush, is a sponsor of the initiative. Advocates need to collect 241,000 signatures by the end of the year to send the measure to the Legislature, which can pass it outright or refer it to a statewide vote in November 2012.
Pflaumer, former King County judge Robert Alsdorf and Seattle city judge Anne Levinson say treated adult marijuana users as criminals is an inappropriate use of government resources.
