cannabisnews.com: Financial Backer Says Prohibition Doesn't Work! Financial Backer Says Prohibition Doesn't Work! Posted by FoM on August 24, 1999 at 09:36:55 PT by Dionne Searcey Source: Seattle Times OLYMPIA - A 47-year-old Seattle software programmer has identified himself as the millionaire providing the financial backing for an initiative to legalize marijuana in Washington. Bruce McKinney, a Microsoft millionaire, has donated $100,000 to the Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp, sponsor of Initiative 229, which would permit marijuana sales in state liquor stores and license farmers to cultivate cannabis."I'm acting because I believe prohibition causes serious damage to the health of our state and our nation," McKinney said.Backers unveiled the initiative and its $100,000 treasury last week, but declined to identify the donor, other than to say he was a Microsoft millionaire.McKinney left Microsoft two years ago and started his own software company. He describes himself as active in civic issues, such as a drive to scale back plans for new construction at Seattle's Washington Park Arboretum.While at Microsoft, he wrote Hardcore Visual Basic, a well-known programming language book.McKinney, who says he uses marijuana occasionally, lives on Lake Washington in the Montlake neighborhood and likes to canoe. He is divorced and is a free-lance writer for several trade publications. He worked for newspapers when he was in his 20s.Supporters of Initiative 229 are trying to gather the 180,000 signatures they need by Dec. 31 to submit the measure to the Legislature. If, as expected, lawmakers don't approve the initiative, the measure would be placed on the ballot in November 2000.Supporters say the measure could raise millions for Washington because the state would get a financial cut from each marijuana sale. Ninety percent of tax revenues would go to the state general fund; the remainder would be split among drug-treatment and drug-education programs.McKinney said he supports the initiative because marijuana prohibition is an invasion of privacy and is doomed to failure because the drug is so widely available."We've tried this experiment for more than 60 years," he said. "It doesn't work now, and it isn't ever going to work."McKinney's money already has allowed sponsors to hire paid signature gatherers. "If worse comes to worse, I would probably donate some more," McKinney said.This spring McKinney donated $10,000 to a similar initiative campaign in Oregon. Paul Stanford, executive director of the Portland-based Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp, is organizing the effort in both states.McKinney said he got involved in the Oregon effort when he came across the campaign's Web site http://www.crrh.org.He suggested the group also push an initiative in Washington, and pledged his financial backing. Stanford was already considering a campaign here.Since Stanford is an Oregon resident, his 65-year-old mother, Flonie Green of Federal Way, is the official sponsor of Initiative 229."I believe in the initiative," Green said. "People are going to use it (marijuana) no matter what. I think we should be able to get the money for schools and taxes and all that stuff. If it's illegal we get nothing from it."Supporters spent Sunday at Seattle's Hemp Fest, and said they gathered about 20,000 signatures. The group plans to set up headquarters next month in the University District.Dionne Searcey's phone message number is 360-236-8268. Posted at 02:11 a.m. PDTTuesday, August 24, 1999 Copyright © 1999 Seattle Times CompanyMicrosoft Millionaire Boosts Marijuana-Initiative-8/19/99 http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2551.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by renee jackson on August 28, 1999 at 16:52:37 PT: Hello Please include me on your mailing list, OK? http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2603.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Tom Paine on August 25, 1999 at 08:54:29 PT Huge CRRH emailing list is ONLINE, too! http://x21.deja.com/[ST_rn=if]/topics_if.xp?search=topic&group=alt.hemp.octa&GRPP=933323128.863436815&title=Related&query=alt.hemp.octa*CRRH mailing list. International. Chronological order with latestentries on top. In Deja.com archives. LONG SUBJECT LINES. The largest2-way mailing list about cannabis news and reform (and some drugreform). CRRH = Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp.CRRH list has over 800 subscribers and many more who read themessages in the web archives.---Linkname: Ya-Hooka; Activism_and_Law_Reform/Newshttp://www.yahooka.com/pages/Activism_and_Law_Reform/News/ [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: