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| Little Fallout from Seattle's Pot Initiative |
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Posted by CN Staff on November 23, 2005 at 10:58:32 PT By Mike Lewis, Seattle Post Intelligencer Reporter Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer 
Washington -- Since Seattle voters famously made the Emerald City a bit greener by mandating that cops mellow out when it comes to marijuana possession busts, a funny thing has happened.Nothing. Nada. Nil. No crazy hopheads running amok with "reefer madness." No groundswell of support to legalize the drug (at least no more than usual), and no discernible protest by law enforcement that a pro-drug message effectively has been sent -- or received. "I'd say it's had little to no effect," said City Attorney Tom Carr, an outspoken opponent of Initiative 75, the 2003 ballot measure that directed Seattle police to make low-level pot busts their lowest priority. "And that's good. It hasn't been a problem. You can tell by the numbers." What local numbers show is that pot busts have declined since the measure passed. The numbers also show that arrests had declined before voters approved the measure two years ago in September. Ten years ago, city cops arrested 500 people for personal-use amounts of pot, defined as less than 40 grams, enough for about 50 joints. By 2002, that number had dropped to 74 marijuana cases. Last year, the first year under the new law, it was 59, according to information gathered by Carr's office. So far this year, it's 35. "I actually look at every case," said Carr, who sits on the pot-arrest monitoring panel established by the initiative. His office has jurisdiction over the city's misdemeanor drug cases. "It tends to be a couple of joints in the possession of someone stopped for something else." The effort to decriminalize pot smoking isn't confined to Seattle. Voters have approved similar initiatives in Oakland, Calif.; Columbia, Mo., and, just two weeks ago, in Denver. Broadly, the referendum campaign is part of a national legalization push by marijuana advocates, funded partly by billionaire George Soros among others, who believe some drug laws don't reflect societal values and habits -- at least in some cities. "From a national point of view, the success in those cities can be replicated elsewhere in the United States," said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "Not in every city, we know that, but in those places where you have activists on the ground. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/fallout.htm Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) Related Articles & Web Site: Marijuana: A Pointless But Ending War Speakout: Time Has Come To Legalize Marijuana Seattle Approaches Sensible Drug Policy Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 23, 2005 at 14:05:50 PT |
| I saw on the TV the other day when they were showing them making beer that Hops is in the same family as Cannabis. It surprised me that one is legal and one is illegal. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by drfistusa on November 23, 2005 at 14:02:27 PT |
| HOPS is related to Hemp. Hops is used exclusivly to make BEER
so HOP heads must be drunken beer drinkers, running amok is a entierly different event! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 23, 2005 at 12:13:54 PT |
| I think it is on a pot rather then a pot plant if I read it right. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 23, 2005 at 12:06:48 PT |
| That's a great story. I did a quick search but couldn't find a picture. If you find one please post it here for us to all see. Have a Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by siege on November 23, 2005 at 11:50:49 PT |
| "The first person who saw it was a receptionist. Then the guests started coming to see it and before long people were praying and lighting candles," said a security guard near the pot, which is roped off with a crimson cord strung between brass poles and has a simple candle burning in front of it, http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051121/od_nm/mexico_jesus_dc [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by cloud7 on November 23, 2005 at 11:20:55 PT |
| It's been mentioned before, but it's always nice when you see an article in a major newspaper that looks like it's directly quoting from the comments posted here. "...a funny thing has happened. Nothing. Nada. Nil. No crazy hopheads running amok with "reefer madness."..." [ Post Comment ] |
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