There are two bills in the WA legislature right now. One would simply decriminalize marijuana, one would go even further and have it sold at state run liquor stores. Washington is a pretty split state, with the west side of the Cascades being populous and liberal and the eastern side being far more conservative. The same sex everything but marriage bill passed largely due to Seattle and its suburbs. So I was excited to see a Survey USA poll out asking about the two bills.
I figured they'd be down by 5-10 points or so. Instead, well go below the fold to see. It's a sign that the times are changing indeed.
"State lawmakers are considering making marijuana possession legal. Do you think legalizing marijuana is a good idea? Or a bad idea?"
The good idea is not only up, it's destroying the opposition. 56-36! While it's up biggest in Seattle (a 2-1 ratio), even eastern Washington favors this by a 52-46% margin. That's the difference between Bible Belt conservatives and their more Libertarian counterparts out west.
The second bill is more radical so the lead isn't quite as big... but it's still in the lead! 54% of the surveyed populace favors allowed state run marijuana sales to 43% that oppose. Even the dry side of the state has it favored by three points.
This is just one poll but still it's rather promising. Perhaps sanity is finally coming to this issue.