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Smokers celebrate as Wash. legalises marijuana Seattle holds a public pot party - countdown and all - Thursday morning as Washington state enacts a law that now allows them to 'get baked' at home, according to police spokesperson
The crowds of happy people lighting joints under Seattle's Space Needle early Thursday morning with nary a police officer in sight bespoke the new reality: Marijuana is legal under Washington state law. Hundreds gathered at Seattle Centre for a New Year's Eve-style countdown to 12 a.m., when the legalisation measure passed by voters last month took effect. When the clock struck, they cheered and sparked up in unison. Washington and Colorado became the first states to vote to decriminalize and regulate the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana by adults over 21. Both measures call for setting up state licensing schemes for pot growers, processors and retail stores. Colorado's law is set to take effect by 5 Jan. Technically, Washington's new marijuana law still forbids smoking pot in public, which remains punishable by a fine, like drinking in public. But pot fans wanted a party, and Seattle police weren't about to write them any tickets. In dealing with marijuana, the Seattle Police Department told its 1,300 officers on Wednesday, just before legalisation took hold, that until further notice they shall not issue citations for public marijuana use. Officers will be advising people not to smoke in public, police spokesman Jonah Spangenthal-Lee wrote on the SPD Blotter. "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's new law decriminalises possession of up to an ounce for those over 21, but for now selling marijuana remains illegal. I-502 gives the state a year to come up with a system of state-licensed growers, processors and retail stores, with the marijuana taxed 25 per cent at each stage. Analysts have estimated that a legal pot market could bring Washington hundreds of millions of dollars a year in new tax revenue for schools, health care and basic government functions. But marijuana remains illegal under federal law. That means federal agents can still arrest people for it, and it's banned from federal properties, including military bases and national parks. For more Life & Style news and updates, follow us on Twitter: @AhramLifestyle or our Facebook page)
