Thinking Clearly

Marijuana Possession Becomes Legal in Washington State                                                          

Bloomberg News

 

While marijuana sales approved by voters are still about a year away, possession of as much as an ounce of pot became legal today in Washington, the first U.S. state to decriminalize recreational use.

 
Let the toking begin.


Marijuana supporters plan an outdoor celebration tonight in a Seattle park at the foot of the Space Needle. Although smoking a joint in public remains illegal, a 2003 ordinance approved by voters makes investigating, arresting and prosecuting marijuana offenses the city’s lowest law-enforcement priority.


“It is like Christmas Eve and I’m 6 years old again,” said Keith Saunders, a sociologist from Wilton, New Hampshire, who said he would fly in to attend the festivities at the Seattle Center. “This is something that people have worked a lifetime to achieve.”
 
Marijuana supporters plan an outdoor celebration tonight in a Seattle park at the foot of the Space Needle. Although smoking a joint in public remains illegal, a 2003 ordinance approved by voters makes investigating, arresting and prosecuting marijuana offenses the city’s lowest law-enforcement priority.


“It is like Christmas Eve and I’m 6 years old again,” said Keith Saunders, a sociologist from Wilton, New Hampshire, who said he would fly in to attend the festivities at the Seattle Center. “This is something that people have worked a lifetime to achieve.”