EVERETT — The man who wants to be Snohomish County’s next prosecuting attorney also wants to legalize marijuana for adults.
Jim Kenny on Monday endorsed Initiative 1068, which would legalize marijuana use, possession and cultivation. He thinks voters agree.
“Our country has been waging a war on drugs for over 40 years and its exorbitant costs can be measured in dollars and in human lives. At some point elected officials need to say ‘Enough is enough,’” Kenny said in a press release.
Kenny is an assistant Seattle city prosecutor who handles misdemeanor cases. He’s running against Prosecuting Attorney Mark Roe, a career deputy prosecutor who was picked for the job in the fall by the Snohomish County Council. Both men are Democrats.
Precinct officers for the Democratic Party last fall selected Kenny as their top choice to fill the position left open after former county prosecutor Janice Ellis stepped down to take a job with the Tulalip Tribes.
Roe said it is “extremely simplistic” to believe that legalizing marijuana would lead to significant costs savings for the county or the elimination of social ills. Prosecuting cases involving small amounts of marijuana already is a low priority, he said.
“Prosecutors enforce laws. We don’t make them or repeal them,” Roe said. “If voters or legislators repeal laws on marijuana, we will stop prosecuting marijuana cases.”
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