BLOSSOM

The untold story of Seattle's first marijuana initiative in 1974

Like many American cities in the early 1970s, Seattle was once a hotbed of political and civil unrest. Things officially kicked off here on May 5, 1970, when thousands of student protestors shut down I-5 and clashed with local police in response to the Kent State shootings. There was also the flamboyant activist group known as the Seattle Liberation Front who were indicted by a grand jury for conspiracy to plan a riot, resulting in the highly-publicized trial of “the Seattle Seven,” one of whom would later provide the inspiration for Jeff Bridges’ movie character in The Big Lebowski. At the same time, the so-called Fort Lawton Occupation was taking place in which Native American activists occupied the decommissioned U.S. Army base in Seattle to reclaim the land for Indigenous use.

Amidst this burst of local activism emerged another colorful group known as BLOSSOM. Formed in 1971, BLOSSOM stood for the Basic Liberation Of Smokers & Sympathizers Of Marijuana. While the BLOSSOM saga has been relegated to the dustbin of local history, the group pioneered the way for Washington becoming one of the first states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

The story of BLOSSOM begins in Thurston County. The newly opened Evergreen State College, with its unorthodox curriculum, had attracted a wide range of students from across the countercultural spectrum. As a result, the Olympia area became a popular destination for the hippie set, with the earliest version of BLOSSOM forming at a nearby commune. Led by noted community organizer Steve Wilcox, the group viewed marijuana as a sacrament, and according to group lore, they reportedly followed a ritual of continually passing a lighted joint around as though it were an eternal flame.

Sometime in early 1972 the group decided to try and legalize marijuana at the state level, which is when BLOSSOM was formally established. From their headquarters in downtown Olympia, BLOSSOM immediately began the task gathering enough signatures to put Washington State Initiative 264 on the ballot which, if passed, would remove all penalties for the use and sale of marijuana as well as release all state prisoners who were imprisoned on marijuana charges. Once word of this project got out, other BLOSSOM chapters quickly opened in Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane, helping to gather signatures and further the group’s mission.

Spirited fundraising rallies were held throughout the state, with many prominent speakers making appearances to help promote the cause, but an unfortunate series of setbacks prevented the group from collecting the necessary number of signatures. Unable to get their initiative on the 1972 ballot, the core BLOSSOM group in Olympia disbanded with many of its members quietly returning to life at their commune.

Meanwhile, in Seattle, the fight for legal marijuana had only just begun. The city has always maintained a strong rebellious streak: from the Seattle General Strike of 1919 to the WTO Riots in 1999, Seattle has never been one to take things laying down. So, when BLOSSOM’s state initiative efforts fell apart, the Seattle chapter was more than ready to pick up the proverbial baton and continue running with it.

Taking inspiration from such grass-roots efforts as the “Friends of the Market” campaign, which was successfully able to save the Pike Place Market from demolition with a voter-approved initiative in 1971, BLOSSOM attempted the same thing with a local initiative which would permit adults to legally possess and sell marijuana within city limits. With the fuse now lit, work on the so-called Seattle BLOSSOM initiative began in early 1973.

Key organizers, including Paul Elliot, Ralph “Geezer” Williamson, and Jim Klotz, initially met in private to hammer out a strategy and decide on campaign direction. Afterwards, they began recruiting an army of volunteers to help carry out the group’s mission of citywide legalization. Bright yellow notices announcing upcoming organizational meetings were posted throughout the city, resulting in huge turnouts at overfilled community halls. Seattle, it seemed, was eager to legalize weed.

While the meetings were always well-attended, uniformed Seattle police officers - who had apparently taken notice of the flyers - also began showing up. Surprisingly, these law enforcement intrusions were more amicable than expected. As one former member recalled, “one of the suits told us they appreciated we were working within the system and basically promised to leave BLOSSOM-Seattle alone during the campaign. Apparently, they did so as no encounters with the police occurred during the campaign that I recall. Of course, I suspect SPD kept an eye on us, nonetheless.”

With a growing army of volunteers, BLOSSOM began the grueling task of collecting the 20,000 signatures that were needed to get their initiative on the Seattle ballot. At the time, the idea of decriminalizing marijuana was a very contentious issue and for every positive comment that that signature gatherers received, they were met with an equal number of angry responses. The volunteers quickly learned that there were good and bad places to petition, with any street corner near a bookstore and or coffee shop becoming favored spots. They also held a number of fund raisers featuring local bands and musicians playing at some of the more popular taverns and summertime street fairs.

In August 1973, BLOSSOM announced that they had successfully gathered enough signatures to put their initiative up for vote in the upcoming spring election. This gave Seattle the distinction of being the first major city to vote on the issue of decriminalizing marijuana. For the next several months this upcoming initiative became the talk of the town; from spirited discussions at local lunch counters to radio DJ’s offering their two cents over the airwaves, everyone seemed to have an opinion on the matter.

When election day finally arrived on March 26, 1974, local residents lined up to cast their votes with the ballot posing a simple yes-or-no question: “Shall the initiative measure providing for possession and distribution of marijuana without penalty be enacted as an ordinance?” After the polls closed that night, much of the city waited in anticipation to hear the results. The final tally was disappointing but not entirely surprising: by a 2-to-1 margin the initiative was defeated, 55,287 votes to 25,927. Seattle at the time was still a hard-drinking, blue collar town that was not yet ready for legal weed.

Afterwards, the Seattle BLOSSOM chapter disbanded, and its members went on to follow other pursuits. Founding BLOSSOM member Steve Wilcox became a revered community leader and helped form the Olympia Farmers Market. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 72. Seattle member Ralph “Geezer” Williamson became a world disc-golf champion who helped establish the Seattle Frisbee scene. He would tour the country to compete in freestyle Frisbee contests and became locally known for his audience-favorite performances at the halftime shows of various sporting events. Williamson died of cancer in 2011 at the age of 80. Surviving member Jim Klotz, one of the leaders of the Seattle BLOSSOM chapter, is a retired electric utility systems worker and still lives locally.

While BLOSSOM’s early attempts at marijuana reform were ultimately unsuccessful, they paved the way for all future efforts. In 2012, exactly forty years after BLOSSOM attempted to get Initiative 264 on the state ballot, Washingtonians would finally see the matter through when Initiative 502 was approved by popular vote, establishing Washington as one of the first states to legalize the use of marijuana for adults 21 years of age and older.