Smokers Celebrate as Wash. Legalizes Marijuana |
Posted by CN Staff on December 06, 2012 at 04:45:02 PT By Gene Johnson, Associated Press Source: Associated Press Seattle -- 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 Center for a New Year’s Eve-style countdown to 12 a.m., when the legalization measure passed by voters last month took effect. When the clock struck, they cheered and sparked up in unison. A few dozen people gathered on a sidewalk outside the north Seattle headquarters of the annual Hempfest celebration and did the same, offering joints to reporters and blowing smoke into television news cameras. ‘‘I feel like a kid in a candy store!’’ shouted Hempfest volunteer Darby Hageman. ‘‘It’s all becoming real now!’’ 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 Jan. 5. 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 another sweeping change for Washington, Gov. Chris Gregoire on Wednesday signed into law a measure that legalizes same-sex marriage. The state joins several others that allow gay and lesbian couples to wed. The mood was festive in Seattle as dozens of gay and lesbian couples got in line to pick up marriage licenses at the King County auditor’s office early Thursday. 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 decriminalizes 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 percent 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. CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archives Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
Comment #2 posted by afterburner on December 06, 2012 at 07:27:26 PT |
Thank you, Washington. 8 Visions for the Future of Legal Pot. By Martin A. Lee, AlterNet. The future of cannabis is up for grabs, but drug policy reformers have major strategic differences about how to proceed. December 1, 2012. READ MORE» http://www.alternet.org/8-visions-future-legal-pot?akid=9757.313040.MrLgof&rd=1&src=newsletter755209&t=10 [ Post Comment ] |
Comment #1 posted by FoM on December 06, 2012 at 04:46:42 PT |
From the bottom up is how it was done! [ Post Comment ] |
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