Seattle Newspaper for the People by the People

Tag archive

Marijuana

Randy Jokela Back On The Job Writing Pot Tickets

Seattle Police Force Photo

Just a quick follow-up on the article about Randy Jokela who is the top pot ticket writer on the Seattle police force. The police force didn’t see the value in having him sit on the sidelines while he was being investigated by the Office of Professional Accountability so they put him back to work.

If you don’t remember Randy Jokela actually wrote 80 percent of the marijuana tickets at the beginning of the year (63 of 80 tickets). Turns out Mr. Jokela is bicycle officer in downtown Seattle.

You might be interested in

Seattle Cop Doesn’t Like Pot!

Seattle Police Smoking Pot Tickets

As you know Washington State continues to delay the full release of the new marijuana laws. Slowly we are making steps in the right direction when it comes to the licenses and retail stores being allowed to sell it. It’s just taking forever and the state has lost millions in the process already. The hype is slowly going away and when they finally figure it out the public will care much less (thus less sales and taxes). Washington State is so worried they are going to miss so much tax revenue they are sitting around thinking of all the possibilities before making it official.

With that being said, there is a Seattle cop who doesn’t like pot. In fact, it is believed that 80% of all the consuming marijuana in public tickets were giving out by this officer. Even though they are trying to keep it on the down low is name is in fact Randy Jokela (52). He is a veteran office who joined the Seattle Police Department back in 1990. He wrote 66 of the 83 tickets given for consuming marijuana in public and it is believed in one instance he flipped a coin to see who would be getting the ticket.

Ron Smith who is the president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild wouldn’t release his full name (like we did) but said in a statement, “The involved officer is by far the hardest-working officer on this department I have known in my 20 years. Whether it was working in the Rainier Valley in a patrol car, or since he’s been downtown on bikes, nobody can hold a fiddle to his work ethic. However, I cannot defend the comments that he allegedly made on the backs of the tickets.”

I’m sure he is Ron Smith – Obviously, spending a lot of his “hard working” time going around ticketing the little guy for smoking some legal pot. It saddens me when I see an officer obviously with an ego and puts his position of power on the pedestal like this individual has. A person who would “bust” two individuals and then flips a coin to see who gets the ticket has a big ego and is overusing his power. That alone is justification to show this and other officers the door. Don’t let the door hit you where God split you!

To many red flags here in abusing his power so it’s time to go.

You might be interested in

Smoking Marijuana In Public – $27 Fine

Seattle Marijuana Smoking Fines

In and effort to keep control over the industry and increase revenue if necessary the Seattle Council passed a law which would fine for smoking in public.  Sure it’s not much but still a behavior by the City of Seattle that really wasn’t necessary.  It just proves when there is an opportunity to make a few more dollars they will take that opportunity to make a fine/tax out of it.  At his point, what is the big difference between cigarette smoking in public and marijuana smoking in public – absolutely nothing.

A law (unlike smoking) voted on by the people and all the City Council can do is come up with new laws and regulations to fine this cash cow as much as possible.

When Nick Licata (Council member) told the public this is now going to be the law (passed by the Council), he also mentioned that the police would be “giving warnings”.  Isn’t that a great line to calm the public so there is no uproar.  I would love to see how many warnings they give out compared to how much revenue they bring in from this great news.

You might be interested in

Washington State Liquor Control Board

Summary
The Washington State Liquor Control Board is an agency that to control and regulate alcohol and tobacco. They believe is fair administration of the laws of Washington State. It’s main purpose is to provide public safety in regards to alcohol and tobacco both the responsibility of selling it and enforcing it’s misuse.

Board Members
As of 2013, the board members of the Washington State Liquor Control Board are Sharon Foster (Board Chair). Sharon Foster was a registered self employed lobbyist with many clients under her belt. She was appointed to the board back in Aug. 2009. Ruthann Kurose (Board Member) lives in Mercer Island and was appointed to the Liquor Control Board in Jan. 2007.  She has a history of working with Washington DC when it comes congressional legislative policies. Chris Marr (Board Member) lives in Spokane and was appointed to the board back in Feb. 2011. Previously, he was a Senator for the 6th District in Spokane Washington. He was a Senator from 2006-2010. He also served on the Transportation Committee and Majority Whip. Chris Marr has over 20 years of management experience with the Foothills Auto Group (Spokane), Ford, and McDonald’s.

Washington State also has a Board for Tribal Members. Some of these members include Jeanne Jerred, Jerry Allen, Jim Becker, Michael Wernz, Chris Masse, Henry Cagey, Toni McCullough, Ravnell Zuni, plus many more (27 in total).

Why the Washington State Liquor Control Board was created?
The WA State Liquor Board was created to enhance public safety in regards to the sale and misuse of alcohol and tobacco.

How to get a liquor license in Washington State?
In short, a liquor license is an added endorsement to your business license. Washington State business licenses are issued by the Department of Revenue Business License Service. After you have the business license you can apply for a liquor license. Ultimately, the Washington State Liquor Board will decide to approve or deny your license.

Types of liquor licenses available?
There are 2 types of liquor licenses these include Retail and Non-retail Licenses.

Washington State Liquor Control Board yearly revenue
In 2012, the gross revenue generated was $1,062,000,000 dollars. The net revenue returned the City, State, and Local Government was $448.70 million dollars. Out of that revenue $74.5 million dollars actually went to the cities & counties. Education & Prevention received $8 million. The bulk of the revenue was placed into a general fund which was $364.7 million dollars.

Marijuana regulations in Washington State
With the passing of initiative I-502 (2012), Marijuana is now legal in Washington State. Regulation of marijuana will be enforced by the Washington State Liquor Control Board. The law follows some the alcohol laws in that you must be 21 years of age to have marijuana on your person. You are allowed to have one once legally. You are allowed to have it on you but you’re not allowed to open it, show it, or use it in public. In the event, you are caught using marijuana in public it will be civil meaning you’ll be ticketed (not arrested).

Top news about the Washington State Liquor Control Board from the Emerald City Journal

How the Washington State Liquor Control Board is wasting money.  They are basically just burning it and they continue to lose money.

The Liquor Control Board shows its power.  The nightlife initiative approved by voters and the Seattle Council but denied by liquor control board.

It’s a good thing they are out of business.  Now liquor in Washington state goes private and there is going to be an auction.

May 16, 2012, new details were released from the Washington State Liquor Board regarding the legalization of marijuana.

 

You might be interested in

Marjiuana Taxes In King County

Now that we all can smoke marijuana (I don’t smoke), where will all this tax revenue in King County be used?  I truly hope they use it to fix many of the issues we have in the City Of Seattle such as our public schools. What my biggest concern obviously is it being wasted and put in a program, system, or project where the marijuana tax revenue is supporting it completely.  To bad we don’t have more clarity on that.  Ideally, i would like it to not be used in the general fund but I don’t think that is going to happen.  The general fund should be able to support all the things of the City now.  Introducing money just gets wasted into new projects or programs.  We need better ways to protect our tax money so it’s not all spent on wasteful efforts and then becoming bad debt.  If that happens we’re in the same boat we’re in now where raising taxes, fines, or whatever is the solution to fixing their wasteful efforts.

Having talked to many people over the new found freedom of smoking marijuana, they feel that Keep Reading

You might be interested in

Initiative Measure No. 502 (Marijuana – Supported)

Law

I support Initiative Measure No. 502 concerning making marijuana more legal.  I hate the fact that the only real reason the measure is even on the ballot is because tax revenue will be generated off of it similar to liquor.  If it were a free resource, then it would not even be considered or presented to the people.  The state is only ok with certain initiatives if they are getting their “fair share”.  Same reason why prostitution will never be legal (unless it’s highly taxed and regulated).  That is another topic, obviously. Seattle’s poor leadership is always on the wrong side of history. They will support this measure as long as the tax revenue is collected.

As I do support the initiative, I also don’t like the 21 and over legal requirement.  If you can legally smoke at 18 now, then it should be the same with marijuana. There is no real argument around this age except it is a bargaining chip for lawmakers to get their tax money.

Another reason why I support the law is because we’ve spent billions of our tax dollars trying to fight it.  The courts are filled, lawyers are greedy, and it’s a bad situation overall.  Our city waste so much tax money on efforts that don’t matter. For the record, I don’t smoke.

I would have liked to have seen how this tax revenue would be spent.  I would feel better knowing it would all support the schools, education, and safety.  My fear, history, and experience tells me it will be another wasted revenue stream abused. If they started to collect millions and millions of dollars, Seattle will continue to claim poverty and force more taxes from the people.

I think supporting Initiative Measure No. 502 is a movement in the right direction.

What is Initiative Measure No. 502?

Initiative Measure No. 502 is not specific to Seattle but is a measure that was approved by voters statewide in Washington State in 2012. This initiative legalized the possession and private use of marijuana for adults aged 21 and over. Here is a summary of its provisions:

1. Legalization of Marijuana:

  • Adults 21 and over can legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana, 16 ounces of solid marijuana-infused products, or 72 ounces of liquid marijuana-infused products.

2. Regulation and Licensing:

  • The initiative authorized the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (previously Washington State Liquor Control Board) to regulate and license marijuana producers, processors, and retailers.
  • It established a system of state-licensed marijuana growers, processors, and retail stores where adults could purchase marijuana.

3. Taxation:

  • I-502 imposed a 25% tax at each transaction level: producer to processor, processor to retailer, and retailer to customer.
  • Tax revenues were designated for specific purposes such as substance-abuse prevention, research, education, and healthcare.

4. DUI Standards:

  • The initiative established legal intoxication standards for driving under the influence of marijuana, similar to blood alcohol levels for alcohol.

5. Decriminalization and Law Enforcement:

  • The measure aimed to allow law enforcement to focus on other crimes by reducing the time and resources spent on enforcing marijuana-related offenses.
  • However, public use of marijuana remained a civil infraction.

6. Federal Law Consideration:

  • Despite the state law change, marijuana possession and distribution remained illegal under federal law. However, in practice, the enforcement of federal marijuana laws became a lower priority in states where marijuana had been legalized and regulated.

I-502 was significant as it represented a shift in drug policy and had considerable implications for criminal justice, public health, and the economy in Washington State. The legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington has also been part of a broader trend towards marijuana legalization in the United States.

 
 
 

Update: Voters approved I-502 legalizing marijuana in Washington State.

Initiative 502 was prevailing at 55 to 45 percent, garnering backing from over half of Washington’s counties, both rural and urban.

This voting outcome positioned Washington and Colorado to the left of the Netherlands regarding marijuana legislation, establishing them as the focal points of a novel societal experiment with unpredictable outcomes. Media from across the nation and around the globe observed as the vote totals were announced at I-502’s election-night celebration in Seattle, sparking waves of ecstatic cheers.

“I’m prepared to deliver my victory speech now. Post this, I can sit down and halt the trembling,” proclaimed Alison Holcomb, the campaign manager and main architect of I-502.

You might be interested in

Prohibition Of Marijuana Has To End Someday

I am not a pot user, medical or otherwise but the battle against people using it has been lost long ago. I sure am not for making it easy for people to do something illegal but the police could be used for far better things. The little dopers are going to get it and to get it they have to rob a house, auto or person to get a little money or things to sell and then it’s easy to find a seller. If they get arrested and a free ride to jail, booked in, bailed out, go to court it really adds up in tax payer dollars with absolutely nothing accomplished. It’s like filling a hole by digging another hole beside it. It should be controlled and taxed so the “pot heads” can walk into someplace and buy a small amount. Instead of smuggling it in, just let the government buy it as an import and tax the heck out of it. It would be a fair tax(unlike food that we all need). No one would be forced to buy it, and only the pot heads would pay the tax and it would be cheaper for them than to be in danger on the streets whether buying or selling.

I am no expert on the medical benefits of marijuana. Pot Heads can probably convince a doctor that it really relieves their pain and get a prescription. There is no argument that marijuana has some sort of effect on the brain. It must make people feel good or they wouldn’t use it. A few stiff drinks has the same effect. It dulls your thinking, makes you dance when you otherwise would not etc. It does not mean you are really dancing, it just releases your inhibitions some how. So if it were legalized so anyone could go to a place and buy it without fear of arrest, it does not mean you can do whatever you want when you are under the influence of it. Like go to your job or drive your car. It just means you can buy it and take it home. Workers can be fired from their jobs for using medical pot. I believe most everyone would agree that that is a good thing, except the “pot head”. If they are in such pain that they have to take pot to work then they are too sick to go to work. period. Just because you can walk into a liquor store and buy a bottle and drink til all your pain is gone does not mean you can drive or do anything that could cause you to get a DUI. Pot is the same. If you look at it from a non pot user or boss they don’t want to be around some one who’s head is screwed up on dope. I don’t want someone sawing down my trees, while he is looped on medical pot, or to drive my truck or to take my tonsils out. No sober person wants to have to hold up the end of a board with a looped up person holding up the other end. If you buy it at a marijuana store or a doctor prescribes it you are still walking around with a fuzzy brain and should not be on ANY job. But I think the day has came to make it legal. It would cut down so much crime and its doubtful anyone who is not prone to use it anyway would head out and buy some. Most normal people do not want to be fuzzy headed.

You might be interested in

Go to Top