<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span>Courtesy of the Seattle Police Department at:</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span><br></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; "><a href="http://tinyurl.com/bwj4srk">http://tinyurl.com/bwj4srk</a></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; "> </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">-------------------------------------</span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span><br><h1 class="entry-title" style="margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; "><font size="3"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use In Seattle</span></font></h1></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">The people have spoken. Voters have passed Initiative 502 and beginning December 6th, it is not a violation of state law for adults over 21 years old to possess up to an ounce of marijuana (or 16 ounces of solid marijuana-infused product, like cookies, or 72 ounces of infused liquid, like oil) for personal use. The initiative establishes a one-year period for the state to develop rules and a licensing system for the marijuana production and sale.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Marijuana has existed in a grey area in Seattle for some time now. Despite a longstanding national prohibition on marijuana, minor marijuana possession has been the lowest enforcement priority for the Seattle Police Department since Seattle voters passed Initiative 75 in 2003. Officers don’t like grey areas in the law. I-502 now gives them more clarity.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Marijuana legalization creates some challenges for the Seattle Police Department, but SPD is already working to respond to these issues head on, by doing things like reviewing SPD’s hiring practices for police officers to address now-legal marijuana usage by prospective officers, as well as current employees.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">While I-502 has decriminalized marijuana possession in Washington, the new state law does not change federal law, which classifies marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic. All Seattle Police officers have taken an oath to uphold not only state law, but federal law as well. However, SPD officers will follow state law, and will no longer make arrests for marijuana possession as defined under I-502.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">The Seattle Police Department and Mayor Mike McGinn have already begun working with state officials to navigate this conflict, and follow the direction of Washington voters to legalize marijuana.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">In the meantime, the Seattle Police Department will continue to enforce laws against unlicensed sale or production of marijuana, and regulations against driving under the influence of marijuana, which remain illegal.</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">TL;DR?</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Here’s a practical guide for what the Seattle Police Department believes I-502 means for you, beginning December 6th, based on the department’s current understanding of the initiative Please keep in mind that this is all subject to ongoing state and local review, and that it describes the view of the Seattle Police Department only. All marijuana possession and sale remains illegal under federal law, and Seattle Police cannot predict or control the enforcement activities of federal authorities.</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Can I legally carry around an ounce of marijuana?</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">According to the recently passed initiative, beginning December 6th, adults over the age of 21 will be able to carry up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use. Please note that the initiative says it “is unlawful to open a package containing marijuana…in view of the general public,” so there’s that. Also, you probably shouldn’t bring pot with you to the federal courthouse (or any other federal property).</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Well, where can I legally buy pot, then?</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">The Washington State Liquor Control Board is working to establish guidelines for the sale and distribution of marijuana. The WSLCB has until December 1, 2013 to finalize those rules. In the meantime, production and distribution of non-medical marijuana remains illegal.</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Does I-502 affect current medical marijuana laws?</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">No, medical marijuana laws in Washington remain the same as they were before I-502 passed.</span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Can I grow marijuana in my home and sell it to my friends, family, and co-workers?</span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Not right now. In the future, under state law, you may be able to get a license to grow or sell marijuana.</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Can I smoke pot outside my home? Like at a park, magic show, or the Bite of Seattle?</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Much like having an open container of alcohol in public, doing so could result in a civil infraction—like a ticket—but not arrest. You can certainly use marijuana in the privacy of your own home. Additionally, if smoking a cigarette isn’t allowed where you are (say, inside an apartment building or flammable chemical factory), smoking marijuana isn’t allowed there either.</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Will police officers be able to smoke marijuana?</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">As of right now, no. This is still a very complicated issue.</span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">If I apply for a job at the Seattle Police Department, will past (or current) marijuana use be held against me? The current standard for applicants is that they have not used marijuana in the previous three years. In light of I-502, the department will consult with the City Attorney and the State Attorney General to see if and how that standard may be revised.</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">What happens if I get pulled over and an officer thinks I’ve been smoking pot?</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">If an officer believes you’re driving under the influence of anything, they will conduct a field sobriety test and may consult with a drug recognition expert. If officers establish probable cause, they will bring you to a precinct and ask your permission to draw your blood for testing. If officers have reason to believe you’re under the influence of something, they can get a warrant for a blood draw from a judge. If you’re in a serious accident, then a blood draw will be mandatory.</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">What happens if I get pulled over and I’m sober, but an officer or his K9 buddy smells the ounce of Super Skunk I’ve got in my trunk?</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Under state law, officers have to develop probable cause to search a closed or locked container. Each case stands on its own, but the smell of pot alone will not be reason to search a vehicle. If officers have information that you’re trafficking, producing or delivering marijuana in violation of state law, they can get a warrant to search your vehicle.</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">SPD seized a bunch of my marijuana before I-502 passed. Can I have it back?</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">No.</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Will SPD assist federal law enforcement in investigations of marijuana users or marijuana-related businesses, that are allowed under I-502?</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">No. Officers and detectives will not participate in an investigation of anything that’s not prohibited by state law.</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">December 6th seems like a really long ways away. What happens if I get caught with marijuana before then? </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Hold your breath. Your case will be processed under current state law. However, there is already a city ordinance making marijuana enforcement the lowest law enforcement priority.</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">I’m under 21. What happens if I get caught smoking pot?</span></div><div><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">It’s a violation of state law. It may referred to prosecutors, just like if you were a minor in possession of alcohol.</span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">-------------------------------------</span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Seeya round town, Moscow, because . . .</span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">"Moscow Cares"</span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com">http://www.MoscowCares.com</a></span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Tom Hansen</span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Moscow, Idaho</span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span></div></div></body></html>