State gives dope the green light
New law pits Washington against feds
Washington state has become the first in America to allow the recreational use of cannabis, setting up a potential showdown with the U.S. federal government.
In the city of Seattle, pro-cannabis campaigners celebrated in a haze at the foot of the Space Needle tower at one minute past midnight Thursday, the moment the state’s new law came into effect.
Vivian McPeak, the director of Seattle’s annual Hempfest, said: “This is a big day because all our lives we’ve been living under the iron curtain of prohibition. The whole world sees that prohibition just took a body blow.”
The new law allows cannabis to be smoked only inside, and doing so in public is still subject to a $100 fine. However, the Seattle Police Department told its 1,300 officers that, until further notice, they should not issue tickets. No officers were present at the Space Needle event.
On the city’s police website, spokesman Jonah Spangenthal-Lee said: “The department’s going to give you a generous grace period to help you adjust to this brave, new, and maybe kinda stoned world. The police department believes that, under state law, you may responsibly get baked, order some pizzas and enjoy a Lord of the Rings marathon in the privacy of your own home, if you want to.”
Washington and Colorado became the first two states to decriminalize and regulate the possession of cannabis in ballots held alongside the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 6. The Colorado law takes effect on Jan. 5.
In Washington, it is now legal for adults over the age of 21 to possess an ounce of the drug, or up to 16 ounces of cannabis-infused goods such as brownies, or up to 72 ounces in liquid form.
Growers and processors of cannabis will be regulated and the drug will be sold in licensed shops. It will be subject to a 25 per cent tax at each stage of that process. The move is expected to bring hundreds of mil- lions of dollars in tax revenue for spending in areas including schools and health care.
However, with cannabis still illegal under U.S. law, through the Controlled Substances Act, Washington could face a crackdown by federal agents from the FBI and Drug Enforcement Adminstration.
The drug remains banned from federal property in the state, including military bases and national parks.
Washington’s stance follows an already escalating conflict between the federal government and states over the burgeoning medical cannabis industry.
The Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes said: “All we’ve achieved by prohibition is to fill our jails and make drug dealers quite rich. We’re in uncharted water.”