Here in Seattle, home of Hempfest, Initiative 75 looks certain to pass by a good margin. Once I-75 is made law, which should happen in a few days, marijuana possession will be made the city's lowest law enforcement priority. Seattle Post-Intelligencer story here, and complete text of initiative here.
Up in British Columbia, home of Vancouver, home of Cannabis Culture magazine and several cannabis cafes, the law against marijuana possession has been declared invalid. Canada.com story here.
In a roundabout way, smoking bud just became legal in Vancouver and Seattle, just not legal in an way that guarantees protection from arrest and prosecution. In fact, the Seattle law is unlikely to change much of anything, since the police already make marijuana a low priority, and the city gov't has a history of ignoring initiatives. The story in BC is much more exciting, since theoretically marijuana possession is now completely legal there. Also, neither city has had any real legal test of the new law yet, so it's hard to say how much has changed.
Still, this is exciting news. Public opinion in both cities is firmly pro-marijuana, and it's now reflected by the law, for a change. It's also interesting to note how much further along Canada is than the US regarding marijuana decriminalization.
The fight is going to be far fiercer in Seattle, I bet. If the federales haven't already figured Seattle for a lost cause, they will fight this with all the propaganda they can muster - and of course, federal drug laws are uneffected. In BC, assuming the court decision isn't overturned by the supreme court, nothing less than a new law passed by Parliament will make marijuana illegal again. It seems unlikely that any new law would be as harsh as the old one, which honestly was already quite lenient (by US standards!).
Comments? Questions? Celebratory whooping?
P.S. We also have some of the best bud on the continent, and rents have been falling... |
