‘Tis the season
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SOUNDER THE ISLANDS’
Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
www.islandssounder.com
WEDNESDAY, November 21, 2012 VOL. 45, NO. 47 75¢
The gift of independence A local program helps islanders with disabilities find jobs by COLLEEN SMITH ARMSTRONG Editor/publisher
Meredith M. Griffith photo
Jake Griffith helps Crystal Taylor make jewelry for her new business “Designs by Crystal.” Her work is at Jillery and the holiday festival of arts.
Crystal Taylor loves to make jewelry. She and her mom, Clarissa, design bracelets and necklaces out of their home in Eastsound. Crystal, who has low-functioning autism, enjoys having a creative outlet. “I am excited,” she said. “It’s so fun.” Crystal, 26, will be selling her work at the Holiday Festival of the Arts on Saturday, Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the senior center. Her jewelry is also at Pike Place Market in Seattle. She is launching her new endeavor with the help of job coach Cara Cohn, who is the local program manager for Washington Vocational Services, a private nonprofit contracted through San Juan County. Based out of Orcas, Cohn has 11 disabled clients in the San
Juans. The program, which is in Washington and Alaska, has been active in San Juan County for the past three years. “It’s very cool helping people make their dreams come true,” she said. “The obstacles are pretty tremendous ... it humbles me every morning when I wake up.” Cohn has lined up work for her clients at such places as the public school cafeteria, grocery stores and island shops. All six of her clients on Orcas are currently employed. Eastsound business owners Jill and Roger Curtiss have Crystal’s ID bracelets in their store Jillery and Ben Harlow and Ken Brown clean the shop in the morning with the assistance of a helper. “They don’t have a lot of opportunities here,” Jill said. “They are capable of doing a lot of things. They are reliable, they are always on time, they don’t call in sick. They are so happy to receive a
I-502: what it means for Washington state by JULIE SUMMERS contributor
On Election Day, Washington voters lived up to their progressive reputation by passing Initiative 502 to legalize recreational use of marijuana. The initiative passed with 55 percent statewide approval and an overwhelming 68 percent support in San Juan County, the largest margin in the state. A similar measure passed in Colorado, making Washington and Colorado the first two states to allow recreational marijuana. “Everybody’s talking about this now,” said San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney Randall Gaylord. “Everybody’s interested to see how it will unfold.” Local officials’ reactions vary widely. In an Oct. 24 guest column, Gaylord encouraged voters to carefully consider I-502 and stated that he would adapt his policies based on the results. One complication is that I-502 is slated to go into effect in 30 days, but the law is now
contributed photo
Now that the recreational use of marijuana is legal in Washington state, how will the feds govern the future of this drug? in direct conflict with federal law, which bans marijuana. Gaylord said there is a lot of speculation on how this will play out. Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, marijuana remains classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, alongside such hard
drugs as heroin and ecstasy. Schedule I drugs “have a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the U.S., and there is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision,” according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Although there are medical marijuana laws in 18 states and D.C. (the most recent just passed in Massachusetts) and there have been several attempts to reclassify marijuana, the federal government has yet to do so. In 2009, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that federal prosecutors would essentially defer to state laws regarding medical marijuana, but it remains unclear whether that precedent will hold with recreational use. Gaylord points out that the conflict between state and federal laws could be complicated by the fact that Washington is a border
SEE 1-502 PAGE 6
paycheck and feel some independence.” Once someone is employed, Cohn stays in constant contact to assure the business owner is satisfied. She says there are tax credits available to those who employ disabled workers. One of her most recent success stories was with a client on San Juan Island. “This young man’s dream is to become a film director,” Cohn said. “Using the high school, I found him a mentor and together we were able to develop a Facebook presence for the San Juan Island Food Co-op and he was able to do interviews and videotape them. He was glowing. He was alive. My heart burst wide open. It was so gratifying.” Cohn says it’s critical to help those with disabilities find jobs – for their well being as well as the island at large. “Working with all of our community members is critical to the
SEE JOBS, PAGE 6
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