Marijuana is now officially legal in Washington; you can also now officially get a marriage license
164 replies, posted
[URL]http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/12/06/washington-marijuana-law-goes-into-effect-smokers-celebrate-in-public/[/URL]
[quote]There wasn't a police officer to be seen as crowds of people gathered under Seattle's Space Needle early Thursday morning to light up and celebrate a 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.
King County and Thurston County announced they would open their auditors' offices shortly after midnight Wednesday to accommodate those who wanted to be among the first to get their licenses.
Kelly Middleton and her partner Amanda Dollente got in line at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Hours later, as the line grew, volunteers distributed roses and a group of men and women serenaded the waiting line to the tune of "Going to the Chapel."
Because the state has a three-day waiting period, the earliest that weddings can take place is Sunday.
[B]In dealing with marijuana, the Seattle Police Department told its 1,300 officers on Wednesday, just before legalization 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."
He offered a catchy new directive referring to the film "The Big Lebowski," popular with many marijuana fans: "The Dude abides, and says 'take it inside!'"[/B]
"This is a big day because all our lives we've been living under the iron curtain of prohibition," said Hempfest director Vivian McPeak. "The whole world sees that prohibition just took a body blow."
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.
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.
The Justice Department has not said whether it will sue to try to block the regulatory schemes in Washington and Colorado from taking effect.
"The department's responsibility to enforce the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged," said a statement issued Wednesday by the Seattle U.S. attorney's office. "Neither states nor the executive branch can nullify a statute passed by Congress."
The legal question is whether the establishment of a regulated marijuana market would "frustrate the purpose" of the federal pot prohibition, and many constitutional law scholars say it very likely would.
That leaves the political question of whether the administration wants to try to block the regulatory system, even though it would remain legal to possess up to an ounce of marijuana.
Alison Holcomb is the drug policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and served as the campaign manager for New Approach Washington, which led the legalization drive. She said the voters clearly showed they're done with marijuana prohibition.
"New Approach Washington sponsors and the ACLU look forward to working with state and federal officials and to ensure the law is fully and fairly implemented," she said.
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time to light your now legal joints, fellas
Sadly the federal law still forbids it. You're much safer smoking your joints now, but don't fuck around in the streets or you still might get in trouble.
What are they going to do, march in with an army of federal officials and arrest roughly 60% of the population?
This is a big step forward. If enough states legalize it, the federal government won't waste it's time or money on a pointless drug war- oh wait
Time to soak a mad blunt of weed and marijuana rolled into one and have lots of gay sex
420 blaze it
I see Washington is putting itself forward on the path to destroying America.
1 down, 49(8?) to go!
Marijuana-fueled gay orgies here I come.
[QUOTE=Garik;38726275]Marijuana-fueled gay orgies here I come.[/QUOTE]
Livin' the life
:dance:
420 blaze is faggot
European countries should follow their example as they did when they delegalized it cause America did it too.
[QUOTE=-Get_A_Life-;38726196]Sadly the federal law still forbids it. You're much safer smoking your joints now, but don't fuck around in the streets or you still might get in trouble.[/QUOTE]
feds dont march around town looking for pot smokers.
snip
This is a republican's worst nightmare.
[QUOTE=Scot;38726471]This is a republican's worst nightmare.[/QUOTE]
Depends what you deem a nightmare.
If this proves to be a great cash crop, and money can be made... Republicans will probably give less then two shits.
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;38726575]Depends what you deem a nightmare.
If this proves to be a great cash crop, and money can be made... Republicans will probably give less then two shits.[/QUOTE]
doesnt matter how much money it makes if business interests dont like it
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;38726575]Depends what you deem a nightmare.
If this proves to be a great cash crop, and money can be made... Republicans will probably give less then two shits.[/QUOTE]
gonna be hard since it hasn't been legalized on a federal level, feds will probably shut down any legitimate business trying to grow the crop to sell it.
Only a matter of time
[img]http://pigroll.com/img/cannabis_legalized_in_ny.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=Trunk Monkay;38726756]gonna be hard since it hasn't been legalized on a federal level, feds will probably shut down any legitimate business trying to grow the crop to sell it.[/QUOTE]
nah it will be similar to medical marijuana prolly. feds didnt shut down every medical dispensary out there. i think the feds will mostly observe and perform sporadic raids so no one can say they aren't doing their jobs.
[editline]6th December 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=Atlascore;38726748]lol
"Business interests" don't give a fuck, if it's legal and they can make loads of money off it, they'll do it, I don't think you understand how American corporations work, it's all about the money.[/QUOTE]
i think your ignoring history
[editline]6th December 2012[/editline]
and reality for that matter
[QUOTE=Scot;38726471]This is a republican's worst nightmare.[/QUOTE]
There are actually quite a few republicans who think taxing weed would be a great income, and another few who think punishing stoners (or drug use in general) is wrong/stupid.
[url=http://marijuanamajority.com/?id=210]Including Glenn fucking Beck.[/url]
Brb moving to Washington to grow fields and fields of industrial hemp to sell for every fucking use on the face of the planet.
Hemp is a goddamn miracle plant, and I can't for the life of me find any logic in keeping it banned.
[QUOTE=Atlascore;38726995]What history? Randomly saying that i'm "ignoring history" isn't going to suddenly make your argument valid.
I mean everything in American history involving corporations has generally been negative and supports my argument, did you know at one point multiple mining companies practically ran labor camps, paying their employees almost nothing while forcing them to work long hours?[/QUOTE]
you're ignoring the history that corporations will do anything to turn a profit. there isn't one side to the marijuana industry. prohibition makes a ton of money for the private prison industry, for example. alcohol companies might not like the idea of marijuana competing for alcohol sales(whether it would or not is another matter entirely). you're forgetting that marijuana became illegal in no small part thanks to a jealous paper industry.
there are many business interests in the usa that might benefit from keeping marijuana illegal, and you can bet that these guys are in the lobby right now with their wads of cash.
[editline]6th December 2012[/editline]
and then you have an oversized dea that doesn't want to lose their funding. the dea can practically be classified as a business interest in that manner.
[QUOTE=Atlascore;38727084]You're right, there isn't one side to it, there are most likely companies trying to get it legalized as well, if it was such a one sided thing it would have never became legal in Washington or partially legal in California.[/QUOTE]
which is why i'm saying that business interests will ultimately decide whether marijuana becomes legal or not on a federal level.
I am glad I live in Washington, I got into a huge argument with this guy last night about gay marriage. I can't wait till the shock and awe is over and people just accept the fact that weed is legal as well as gay marriage.
I'm still surprised that we did it before California.
Washington is so great. Used to go there all the time when I lived in Vancouver. Seattle is one of the few cities I could see myself living in, and interior Washington is beautiful. Probably the only State I'd ever move to.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;38727046]you're forgetting that marijuana became illegal in no small part thanks to a jealous paper industry.[/QUOTE]
are people still repeating this myth?
[QUOTE=yawmwen;38727046]you're forgetting that marijuana became illegal in no small part thanks to a jealous paper industry.
[/QUOTE]
No, it's illegal because mexican workers smoked it.
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;38727195]are people still repeating this myth?[/QUOTE]
Still have no idea why anyone would believe this. Someone care to explain?
This is amazing and a huge step forward and all, but that "ONLY AN OUNCE LOL" thing really urks me.
What difference does it make if you have a pound or an ounce or a joint? An ounce is no more dangerous than any other amount.
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