Calling all Washington State voters - take action

[tenuki]

As you probably know due to some sillyness in our legislature it is now a felony to purchase pipe tobacco online or even to have a friend ship you some in Washington State. There is a bill in front of our state legislature to rectify this problem. If you live and vote in Washington State please take a look at this bill to exempt pipe tobacco from the tobacco shipping ban (the same way cigars are exempted) and contact your rep _today_ if you agree with exempting pipe tobacco. The deadline is Monday noon.

Bill is here:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2639&year=2009

Find your district and reps here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx

There will be links to email them on their respective pages - make sure you include the bill (House bill 2639)and ask them to 'pinkslip' it.

 

[tenuki]

Update - both the house and senate bills have been introduced, sent to committee and public hearings have been held. If you are a washington state voter please contact your representatives and ask for them to support the bill to except pipe tobacco from the tobacco shipping ban.


House Bill: HB 2639

Senate Bill: SB 6447


Find your representatives.

 

[AlohaStyle]

Thanks for posting. I'm not a pipe smoker but come on, a FELONY?!? What a joke!

 

[tenuki]

Update - Apparently both bills are dead in commitee.

The main reasons given where that the Attorney General, the American Lung Association and Department of Health were against it on the grounds that children would have access to smoke pipes.

In their testimony before committee they 'estimated' that 30,000 children smoked a pipe in the last 30 days in washington state. Huh? Talk about blowing smoke... Anyway, chalk another one up for the nanny state, in this case led by the Republican AG Rob McKenna who is poised to be the 2012 gubernatorial front runner.