CBS: "An impromptu celebration was held, appropriately enough, at the Space Needle, a Seattle high point. The air was filled with the scent of victory."

  • dioptase

    The federal government would like you to correct the title to:  “Marijuana no longer outlawed by State of Washington” 

    • dnebdal

      Ha, picky yet correct and important.

  • http://twitter.com/kpkpkp Kevin Pierce
  • http://twitter.com/randywalters Randy Walters

    I am so proud of my home state. (I grew up in Bellevue.)

    Eagerly awaiting April 1 (yes, no fooling) when decriminalization takes effect here in Rhode Island; with luck, we’ll get our act together and move towards full legalization in the near future.

    Once Washington and Colorado begin reporting tax revenues, it’s all over for prohibition.

    • Gilbert Wham

       Yeah, right. Just wait, there’s plenty of places will happily keep it illegal (viz. ‘dry’ counties), and ramp up penalties for it. Lots of revenue there for crazy hick sheriffs…

      • EH

        And opportunities to *become* a crazy hick sheriff!

  • BillStewart2012

    Seattle Police spokesperson wrote “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.”

  • James Penrose

    One hops the “No Smoking” laws will be applied to this nonsense as the stuff really stinks..  I do favor legalization because it is not the government’s business what people ingest and because easy access to more drugs will eventually remove drug users from society (preferably before they breed) so the rest of us can get on with things.

    Seattle drivers are crazed as is, this should make being a pedestrian even more fun with stoners at the wheel.

    • http://www.ikaink.net Itsumishi

      Wow. Just wow. 

      Firstly, of course current No Smoking laws will apply to marijuana, and as the linked article outlines, it will also be illegal to smoke in public.

      Secondly, with no recorded direct deaths from marijuana I can’t see this change in law killing anyone and removing them from the society you’re such a valuable and tolerant member of.

      Thirdly, it will still be illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana and as the linked article outlines, the worlds previously most tolerant marijana laws exist in the Netherlands, where marijuana is used less commonly then in the USA, so don’t expect a jump in usage and by extension more people driving under the influence.

      P.S. Excuse me if I’m simply snatching at the troll bait.

    • EH

      Funny, the people who nearly kill me rolling through stop signs as I’m crossing the street are decidedly *not* stoner types. There are much worse drivers on the road than people smoking pot, and the system is designed that way: it’s simply too easy to get a drivers license. Meanwhile, I can drive with abandon, content having memorized the most important safety rules of the road: “use turn signals,” “complete stop,” and “look both ways.”

    • C W

      DWI is still illegal.

  • http://daruiburns.tumblr.com/ Dlo Burns

    I didn’t see a mention of any of the sculptures on the grounds being turned into a bong, which they totally could.

  • Woody Smith

    Several of you assume driving under the influence of marijuana is more dangerous. Zero evidence supports that claim. Much (suppressed) evidence suggests the contrary. At low to moderate dosage the drug expands peripheral vision, speeds reaction time, helps maintain focus during times of tedium, makes you just paranoid enough to look further up the road for developing danger, and helps detect sudden movements. A sane government would dispense joints at highway entrances, much as some now give away coffee at rest stops.

    • http://www.ikaink.net Itsumishi

      Firstly, there was (now there are two) only one comment suggesting that driving under the influence will make people drive worse, not a few. Secondly, your facts are pretty off.

      There have been a whole range of studies on the effects of marijuana and driving. I’m yet to read any that claim all the benefits that you’ve suggested, but I’ve read a few that suggest there are mild improvements to some driving skills at low-to-moderate dosages, in some test subjects. I’ve also read a lot more that claim there is either no impairment, or a a very slight impairment.

      On the other hand there is good evidence to suggest that marijuana negatively affects tracking ability, that is maintaining a steady distance to cars in front, and staying in the centre of the lane for extended periods. This is not usually particularly dangerous, but it can play a roll in crashes.

      Additionally, once dosages are above the moderate level there are plenty of studies that demonstrate slower reaction times, impaired ability to perceive distances and numerous other factors that contribute to bad driving, i.e. once the dose is above moderate, in most cases the driver will be more dangerous.

      Certainly driving stoned, is much safer than driving drunk; but a sane government would not be dispensing joints at highway entrances under any circumstances.

      The study listed below is a good place to start for some of the evidence I’ve pointed out, as it uses an actual simulator rather than simply relying on THC readings of people involved in crashes, which is a common method for studies in the field, but one that unfortunately can’t directly show correlation.

      The effects of cannabis and alcohol on simulated arterial driving: Influences of driving experience and task demand.
      Michael G. Lenné, Paul M. Dietze, Thomas J. Triggs, Susan Walmsley, Brendan Murphy, Jennifer R. Redman

      • http://www.ikaink.net Itsumishi

        Also before I get accused of spreading anti-marijuana propaganda which happens every time I try and weigh in on marijuana debates on Boing Boing I am going to state this clearly:

        I smoke pot. I enjoy pot. I think marijuana should be as legal as tobacco or alcohol, as in taxed and regulated, but still perfectly legal for recreational purposes. I also believe that in order to achieve this goal, weed smokers can’t hide behind misinformation making silly claims like “being really baked makes people better drivers” and “marijuana isn’t addictive in the slightest”. These sorts of claims only hurt the pro-legalisation side of the debate because they’re so easily proved false.

      • EH

        Funny how there don’t seem to be studies on the differences of inclination to drive in the first place.