Pot lovers light up in Seattle
LOS ANGELES – 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 Seattle, pro-cannabis campaigners celebrated in a haze at the foot of the Space Needle tower at one minute past midnight Thursday as the state’s new law came into effect.
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 on 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 millions of dollars for spending in areas including schools and health care. The establishment of the regulation and tax system will take another year.
However, with cannabis still illegal under U.S. law, Washington state could face a crackdown by federal agents from the FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency.