2000 Washington State Democratic Party Platform

Under heading: CRIMINAL JUSTICE

“... We oppose racial profiling by law enforcement.... We support
decriminalization of marijuana. We believe drug use to be a concern for the
medical community, not a criminal issue.”

(These planks were approved by the Delegates without opposition.)


---------------------------------------


2000 Washington State Democratic Party Resolutions

Under heading: II. CRIMINAL JUSTICE

B. Drug-related Crime:

1. The Washington State Democrats call for drug abuse to be a problem for the
Surgeon General to solve, not the Attorney General.

2. The Washington State Democrats urge alternative s to incarceration for
criminals, including drug treatment and valid education, community service,
and monitored home confinement be substituted for imprisonment for most
victimless nonviolent drug offenses.

3. The Washington State Democrats support ending mandatory federal sentences
for drug-dealing offenses, as enforcement of these have disproportionately
fallen upon those lower in the drug-dealing organization, as they have less
leverage to plea bargain than those running the organization.

4. The Washington State Democrats support giving harsher penalties to those
convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs when these
actions result in the deaths of others.

5. The Washington State Democrats oppose criminal prosecution for the use of
medical marijuana.

*6. The Washington State Democrat Party supports an abolition of current
marijuana laws for adults over 21 years of age, allowing each individual to
possess no more than 2 marijuana plants and one once of marijuana for
personal use and allowing for licensed production with a taxed distribution
system through cafes, licensed drinking places, and state-run liquor stores.
Further be it resolved that the tax revenues thereby generated be spent in
the fulfillment of health and human needs.

7. The Washington State Democrats call for legislation to make mandatory drug
testing by employers illegal, except as required for public safety.



F. Sentencing Requirements

1. Due to prison overcrowding and inappropriate sentences for some crimes,
the Washington State Democrats support revisions of mandatory sentnecing laws
to provide judges with more leeway to impose sentences commensurate with the
nature of the crime, as well as circumstances and parties to the incident. We
support giving judges the opportunity to sue their inherent discretion.

2.The Washigton State Democrats favor repealing the so-called “3 Strikes”
laws for crimes not involving violence.



* All but #B-6 were approved without dissent. State Rep. Debbie Regala
objected to this resolution (# B-6 ) but her objections were defeated by
voice vote of the delegates present.

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