Governor Inslee: Pot legalization must inspire 'confidence'

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington Governor Jay Inslee says the eyes of the nation will be on the state as it creates a legal marijuana market over the next year. The new governor said Thursday that along with legalization comes the expectation that illegal pot production and sales will mostly end.

Inslee doesn’t expect a clear answer from the Obama administration anytime soon on how the federal government will respond to Washington’s new marijuana law. He met earlier this week with US Attorney General Eric Holder.

Instead, the Democratic governor says the state must forge ahead to implement the law. But in doing so Inslee says Washington must prove that it can create a well-regulated distribution market.

“It’s very important for us to give the federal government confidence that we’re doing everything possible to achieve the goals of this initiative which is to reduce the criminal association with marijuana.”

Inslee says that means making sure trucks full of Washington weed don’t end up in neighboring states. He’s consulting with the pharmaceutical industry on technologies to track marijuana from farm to market.

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