Containing parts of Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, and points east, the 45th Legislative District is hardly a hotbed of radicalism. But the two candidates for the district's statehouse seat share a position well out of the political mainstream: They both advocate wholesale changes to the War on Drugs. In his time away from the capital, incumbent State Rep. Roger Goodman heads the King County Bar Association's Drug Policy Reform Project, where he works on moving drug policy's focus from crime-and-punishment to public health. His challenger, Toby Nixon, who held the seat from 2002 to 2006 before leaving to run for State Senate (he lost his bid for an open seat to Eric Oemig) has spoken out in defense of Washington's medical marijuana law and pushed a bill requiring performance audits of drug enforcement policies. If a moderate Eastside district has voted to elect both these candidates, is the general public ready for wholesale drug policy reform? "I think people are receptive," says Nixon, "if you can get them to settle down and have a conversation. Too often it's fear and hysteria driving our policies." Noting that "some have observed that it's unfortunate that we're running against each other," Nixon adds that he's not sure he and Goodman have any disagreements on drug policy reform. But he wishes Goodman had followed his lead and pushed more drug policy reform bills as a legislator. "It's unfortunate that the house leadership has not ...
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Containing parts of Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, and points east, the 45th Legislative District is hardly a hotbed of radicalism. But the two candidates for the district's statehouse seat share a position well out of the political mainstream: They both advocate wholesale changes to the War on Drugs. In his time away from the capital, incumbent State Rep. Roger Goodman heads the King County Bar Association's Drug Policy Reform Project, where he works on moving drug policy's focus from crime-and-punishment to public health. His challenger, Toby Nixon, who held the seat from 2002 to 2006 before leaving to run for State Senate (he lost his bid for an open seat to Eric Oemig) has spoken out in defense of Washington's medical marijuana law and pushed a bill requiring performance audits of drug enforcement policies. If a moderate Eastside district has voted to elect both these candidates, is the general public ready for wholesale drug policy reform? "I think people are receptive," says Nixon, "if you can get them to settle down and have a conversation. Too often it's fear and hysteria driving our policies." Noting that "some have observed that it's unfortunate that we're running against each other," Nixon adds that he's not sure he and Goodman have any disagreements on drug policy reform. But he wishes Goodman had followed his lead and pushed more drug policy reform bills as a legislator. "It's unfortunate that the house leadership has not ...