“The evidence keeps coming in: Our new approach is working.”- Sheriff John Urquhart, King County, WA
The future under Measure 91 is a bright one. We have the advantage of going third in Oregon, so there is proof of what it will be like. The sheriff of King County (which includes Seattle) will appear on your television in Oregon to say marijuana regulation is working in Washington.
Sheriff John Urquhart supported Washington state’s successful 2012 initiative to regulate marijuana. Now he’s taken the unprecedented step of endorsing a marijuana regulation measure on the ballot in the state next door. He supports Oregon’s Measure 91 because Washington’s new approach to marijuana is working.
“Month by month, tax dollars are going to schools and police, not the drug cartels,” Urquhart says in a new TV ad. “Wasteful arrests are way down. DUIs are down. Drug prevention programs are getting funds. Strict regulations are working.”
In 36 years of law enforcement, Urquhart has worked as a patrol officer, field training officer, master police officer, narcotics detective, public information officer and administrative aide. In 2012, he became the sheriff of King County, which has 1.9 million people. The ad featuring Urquhart hits airwaves Tuesday evening.
Previous ads featured former Multnomah County drug unit prosecutor Darian Stanford and 33-year police veteran Pete Tutmark. They agree treating marijuana as a crime has failed and Measure 91 will allow police to focus on other priorities like stopping violent crimes.
Urquhart is the second Sheriff to endorse Measure 91. Earlier this year, a retired sheriff from Oregon’s most populous county also endorsed Measure 91.
Other top law enforcement officials who support Measure 91 include Oregon’s former U.S. Attorney Kris Olson, one of the most respected prosecutors in the state, and former Oregon Supreme Court Justice Bill Riggs, one of Oregon’s most foremost legal experts.