State Liquor Board to "Carry Out the Will of the Voters" on Marijuana Initiative

The Washington State Liquor Control Board issued a statement Wednesday morning detailing how it plans to implement Initiative 502, saying it "will move forward to carry out the will of the voters."

The statewide initiative to decriminalize recreational marijuana use passed handily Tuesday night by a margin of 55 to 45 percent, according to initial ballot returns. (Click here to see a video of the crowd at the state Democrats' election night party in Seattle reacting to the news.)

A fact sheet from the liquor board outlines several aspects of the new state law, including licensing fees, tax collection, price structure and more. The board said it expects to use the full year provided by the initiative to implement the new system.

The liquor control board's statement acknowledged that "questions remain ahead as we work to implement I-502. Chief among them is the issue that marijuana remains illegal at the federal level."

Does the legalization change your view on marijuana use? Will it make you more or less likely to use it? Tell us in the comments section.

Meanwhile, Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle, issued the following statement: 

The Department of Justice's enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged. In enacting the Controlled Substances Act, Congress determined that marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance. The Department is reviewing the ballot initiative here and in other states and has no additional comment at this time.

Obama drug policy adviser Dr. Kevin Sabet told ABC News he doesn't think election night results in Washington and Colorado, where voters also approved a marijuana de-criminalization measure, will be the end of the matter.

"I wouldn't advise anyone to toke up just yet. This is going to be caught up in the courts. This is a to-be-determined situation," Sabet said.