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As of today marijuana is now legal in Washington State! Adults age 21 and over are now allowed to possess and use up to an ounce of marijuana under state law. Last month voters in the state approved Initiative 502, but it didn’t officially go into effect until 30 days after the election. It is very likely that today will be looked back on as the beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition in the United States.
Washington will forever be known as the first state to legalize marijuana. Colorado was technically the first state voting to legalize marijuana, being in an early timezone, but Amendment 64 will not go into effect in Colorado for a few more weeks.
While recreational marijuana is now legal for adults in the state, there is still not a legal system for them to obtain it. Initiative 502 will eventually result in the state creating a system of highly regulated growers and retail marijuana stores, but it will take roughly another year for the Washington State Liquor Control Board to craft those regulations. You can follow the progress at the LCB I-502 implementation site.
For now though, if you live in Washington State; smoke’em if you got’em, if you are 21 years of age or older and don’t intend to drive right afterwards. Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.
Editor’s Note: Celebrate Washington State legalizing #Marijuana today with a #JustSayNow Avatar.
Photo by Torben Bjørn Hansen under Creative COmmons license.
6 Comments
A-M-E-N !!!
thanks Jon Walker, Jane Hamsher, and EVERYBODY involved in this fight
can not wait to see Colorado governor wave all that delicious marijuana sales tax revenue in the other resource starved gov’s faces. . . here we go
Great job WA state! With luck this will mark the beginning of the end of our idiotic “War on Drugs”.
How long after smoking can you drive? What will be the blood D9-THC level?
How are local police and prosecutors going to treat purchases until the state operations are up and running? I mean, sure, you can HAVE and SMOKE weed, but no one can BUY it or SELL it. How does that work, in the eyes of the law, do you suppose?
Self-grows still illegal in WA, but will be legal in CO. So in CO at least, will be able to get around the legal possession/smoking versus illegal buying/selling interim (before stores are set up in about a year) by just saying you grew it.
Self-grow is critically important. With it, you will always have the possibility for boutique, farmer’s-market, microbrewry options. Otherwise, pot will eventually become the new Budweiser.
Besides, pot is one of the more amazing plants to grow. Pot growers risk becoming like the guys in the orchid clubs. And it is surprisingly difficult to do (of course, many of the problems come from is growing without good information, electrical constrictions, odor control etc.)
I am hoping to see the day when greenhouse supply houses have pot wings, and nursing homes have grow rooms for their patients who like to putter with plants and want to grow for their neighbors.