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Seattle Police Guide To Legal Marijuana Goes Viral
Posted by CN Staff on November 24, 2012 at 05:23:30 PT
By Jonathan Martin, Seattle Times Staff Reporter
Source: Seattle Times
Washington -- The most-read news release in Seattle police history includes advice about getting high at a magic show and what could happen if a police dog smells the ounce of "Super Skunk" stashed in the trunk. It artfully ends with a video clip of Gandalf the Gray blowing a bit of "Old Toby" into a smoke ring shaped like a sailing ship.It is a strange, new world of soon-to-be-legal marijuana in Washington state, thanks to Initiative 502. And the Seattle Police Department's willingness to play along has gone viral, gaining it attention from the Irish Independent to The New York Times to Rachel Maddow's "Best New Thing in the World," passed among online readers from Honolulu to Paris like a ... well, you know.
The department's "Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use In Seattle" is intended to provide simple answers to the confusing consequences of I-502, before and after marijuana becomes legal Dec. 6. But Jonah Spangenthal-Lee, a journalist-turned-writer for the Seattle police's SPD Blotter blog, wanted to take an "accessible" approach.Where can you legally smoke pot? Will Seattle police help the feds bust state-licensed marijuana stores? Can cops light up? The answers are all there."Everyone (in the SPD) was just as surprised as me to see it explode the way it did," said Spangenthal-Lee, 29, who gained a following for his crime reporting at The Stranger and SeattleCrime.com.He had help. The clip of Gandalf lighting up a pipe in "The Lord of the Rings" was suggested by Seattle police spokesman Sgt. Sean Whitcomb. Assistant Chief Jim Pugel provided many of the answers, and laughed when he saw a first draft, said Spangenthal-Lee.One question: "SPD seized a bunch of my marijuana before I-502 passed. Can I have it back?" Short answer: "No."Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes asked the Police Department and Mayor Mike McGinn to remove one question, related to federal law and seizure of marijuana."SPD, to its credit, wants to be able to relate to the community," said Holmes, a sponsor of I-502. "We have to be the lawyers who say, 'OK, tone and style is your call, but let's make sure we have it legally correct.' "And I-502 is specific, Holmes said: It allows 1 ounce of marijuana, after Dec. 6, for people 21 and over, not in public, and doesn't affect the federal ban or specify how an enthusiast can legally buy pot until state-licensed stores open in at least a year from now.That's addressed in "Marijwhatnow:"Question: "December 6th seems like a really long ways away. What happens if I get caught with marijuana before then?"Answer: "Hold your breath."Source: Seattle Times (WA)Author: Jonathan Martin, Seattle Times Staff ReporterPublished: November 23, 2012Copyright: 2012 The Seattle Times CompanyContact: opinion seatimes.comWebsite: http://www.seattletimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/gnUN61iBCannabisNews  -- Cannabis  Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #18 posted by Had Enough on November 27, 2012 at 21:51:46 PT
Full Moon Fever...
Well FoM…I’d rather not be right or be wrong…I would rather just be…After all the stuff we and our brothers and sisters have been through and ‘endured’…it is ok to be a little cautious…maybe even nervous at times like this…the silence of the Feds…speaks volumes all of it’s own…Endured is the key here…we have a tenancy to not back down…and that’s what makes our place and America so great…we can do it…history has shown us that…and never ever under estimate the underdog…The drug warriors did not recognize the forces of the ‘Power of Love’…(the most powerful force in the universe)…and truth…our most valuable weapons…material armaments can’t hold a candle to the real deal…They have stood us up at the gates of hell…we didn’t and won’t loose our love…and we won’t…and can’t back down…the unjustness of tyranny…fuels the tenacity in those that can see…The iron is hot…time to strike back…and put an end to this madness…in the process…disarm the prohibitionists…after all….they were the ones that declared war on their/our own people…and ‘carried their flag’…Many thanks to the good people in the states of Colorado and Washington…the door just got kicked wide open…weapons of the drug warriors just became worn out, rusted, and obsolete to those who could not see it…California could have led the charge a few years ago…but instead…kowtowed to the greed of the status quo…Peace to all that seek it…and more so to those that don’t…************On another note...I believe we do actually have a full moon tonight...go outside and look up... :)************"I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty from the album Full Moon Fever released in 1989.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YMh8orMNqc
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on November 27, 2012 at 05:11:50 PT
Had Enough
I so hope you are correct. I am always nervous during times like this. It's just my nature.
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Comment #16 posted by Had Enough on November 26, 2012 at 21:30:50 PT
Kitchen Tables…and other places…
For many years it has been discussed about making cannabis prohibition “The Talk of the Kitchen Table”Well…it has happened…and…”That’s Not All Folks”…The prohibitionist’s ‘Looney Tunes’ might finally be over soon…
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Comment #15 posted by Had Enough on November 26, 2012 at 21:22:44 PT
Feds…
The silence IS golden…I’m hoping they will just sit back and let the cards fall in place…The feds can tell all their opposition that they are following the law of the land…and the will of the voters…Wishful thinking…but a very real possibility…and not a second too late…
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on November 25, 2012 at 10:10:14 PT
ekim
Willie looks good! I think he is 79! We saw him on David Letterman. Neil Young is going to be on The Daily Show on the 27th I believe. http://www.glidemagazine.com/hiddentrack/neil-young-to-appear-on-the-daily-show/
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Comment #13 posted by ekim on November 25, 2012 at 09:36:51 PT
Willie Nelson on Piers Morgan CNN 
Monday night 9pm.Gee how old is Willie sure looks healthy wealthy and wise to me.
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on November 25, 2012 at 08:57:44 PT
The GCW
I sure hope you are right. I don't want them to give us grief. Everyone gets angry then and I don't like listening to angry people. 
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Comment #11 posted by The GCW on November 25, 2012 at 08:01:59 PT
FoM,
I don't believe the feds are going to do much of anything for now. 2 or 3 deciding factors indicate they don't have or want to make any move soon.1st is that CO & WA will not have open shop for full on cannabis sales for about a year, which gives them time...2nd is that the ASA appeal to The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reclassify cannabis away from a Schedule I substance, which was made on Oct. 16, 2012 could be a game changer. The decision from that court will effectively flush the feds cannabis prohibition and extermination down the toilet.If that ruling is favorable to voters, the feds will not have any voice in the matter.The feds also would be wise to move slowly and cautiously because they have so obviously shown the world they are incompetent in controlling the out of control war on cannabis. They LOST; how bad to they want to continue to lose?Then, consider; publicly politicians think it's not ok to end cannabis prohibition believing it will end their job, while privately politicians believe it's ok to legalize the superplant. They may want to keep out of it and hope something comes along to help legalize it that's out of their control... reducing their risk.I'll be very surprised to hear anything fed-wise.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on November 25, 2012 at 05:32:13 PT
Dankhank and Paint with Light
It's good to see you. I hope everyone is doing fine. I keep hoping we will see some news about Colorado and Washington but so far no word on what the Feds will or won't do. I hope silence is golden.
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Comment #9 posted by Paint with light on November 24, 2012 at 23:42:01 PT
Link
Here is a link to a mostly decent article I ran across tonight.http://news.yahoo.com/marijuana-bad-103700141.htmlI haven't been able to post here much for the past six months because I started a new job working in tech support for a major computer manufacturer.I still check in occasionally.Keep up the great work everyone.We have all made a difference and there is a lot more to do.Legal like alcohol.......we are getting there finally.
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Comment #8 posted by Dankhank on November 24, 2012 at 19:51:43 PT
great story
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/healing-power-marijuana-has-barely-been-tapped?paging=offhappy turkey weekend all and peace to all ...
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Comment #7 posted by The GCW on November 24, 2012 at 19:30:07 PT
Good NPR article
Legal Pot Is Here, But Stash The Wallet For Nowhttp://www.npr.org/2012/11/24/165776654/legal-pot-has-arrived-now-what...
Residents in the Mile-High State are already looking to buy, says William Breathes, a professional pot critic for the Denver alternative weekly Westward. (By the way, that's a pen name for reasons that may be obvious.)"I was in a shop the day after the amendment had passed here, and the shop owners were getting calls left and right from people asking if they could just come in and buy marijuana legally," Breathes tells NPR's Jacki Lyden. "People are just expecting to be able to walk into these medical stores right away."But they can't — at least not until next year. Like Washington, Colorado still needs to set up a regulatory framework to handle what is expected to be a big expansion of its marijuana market, even though the state already has more medical marijuana dispensaries than it has Starbucks.The growth of that industry has been remarkable to watch, Breathes has written. Three years ago he was hard-pressed to find pot more potent than bud from a dedicated grower with a few basement lamps."But now you see some really beautiful product in the stores," he says. "Some really well-grown medicine. And also, prices have come down," from nearly $400 an ounce in 2009 to around $250 today.Cont.
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 24, 2012 at 16:19:59 PT
HempWorld
I couldn't think of any other way of saying why there is a need for federal law so I used slavery. Some states really are out there and I think that is what I am trying to say without stepping on toes.
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Comment #5 posted by HempWorld on November 24, 2012 at 15:55:36 PT
Forgot to say:
And in a way we still have slavery, we are the slaves!
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Comment #4 posted by HempWorld on November 24, 2012 at 15:54:32 PT
What if a state wanted to have slaves again?
Who would be the slaves? That would only happen if we go back to a dictatorship, I think.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 24, 2012 at 15:16:42 PT
Hope
I always felt it was illegal to do. The Federal Law must be changed. I hope that the new voted in legalization initiatives will bring this to a head. Federal Law always is above State Law. I never felt otherwise. State Law is an experiment in democracy but Federal Law has the final word. What if a state wanted to have slaves again?
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Comment #2 posted by MikeEEEEE on November 24, 2012 at 15:12:55 PT
Hope
"The popular program had brought in about $500,000"Perhaps the feds want their $hare?
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Comment #1 posted by Hope on November 24, 2012 at 11:28:37 PT
I wonder what this is about.
Feds demand Mendocino County pot recordshttp://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ci_22038584/feds-demand-mendocino-county-pot-records
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