Seattle marijuana

Everything cannabis, pot, or weed in Seattle.

Consuming Cannabis in Public and Don’t Want a Fine? Avoid Downtown and Ignore Cop Cars

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We walk out of our residences every day on Capital Hill, and everyday we walk through clouds of smoke. It’s every where. I don’t even remember the last time I took a walk and didn’t smell it somewhere. There is even a shop down a busy street where I have seen the employees taking cannabis “smoke” breaks right outside the store entrance!

Which made me a little surprised when I saw the city of Seattle ‘6 month findings’ of Public Possession of Marijuana, posted on Twitter by reporter Bob Young. The findings so far show that the majority of fines are being issued in an area around Pikes Place Market, the area around Westlake Mall known as the Retail Core, and a small blip in the Occidental Park area, North of SODO.

public possession of marijuana in Seattle citations

map by www.seattle.gov

Is the city and Seattle police concentrating on the areas frequented by tourists to project a ‘clean’ image?’ We don’t encourage consuming cannabis in public, after all, it is against the law. But, if you are going to consume cannabis in public, you may want to stay out of those areas.

Another snippet we thought was interesting: only one citation out of 82 was issued by a police in a cop car. That’s right – 81 out of 82 citations were issued by police on bicycles.

Next time you are doing ‘something wrong’ and notice a cop car drive by…you may want to pay a little more attention to that dude or lady with a badge, who just skidded to a stop right next to you, on their two-wheel peddle machine.

 

‘Recreational Retail Marijuana in Seattle,’ My Unfortunate and Unpopular Friend

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UPDATE: You can now purchase cannabis at weed stores in Seattle.

Let’s just say you are a medical marijuana patient living off of Broadway and the Pike/Pine corridor on Capitol Hill, and you just ran out of your supply of cannabis. What do you do now? Easy. Firstly, you would get your medical marijuana card ready. Then, you would, in a very calm and relaxed manner, slip on your shoes and head a couple blocks to one of more than 200 medical marijuana dispensaries in the city similar to this medical marijuana lansing mi. Even though this location is down the street from a park and other places where kids congregate, it’s totally fine for this dispensary to exist, and okay for you to be there. And before you know it, you will be walking back to your cozy abode, with a bag of Washington State’s best.

Once you are back in the comforts of your home, you could make a pot of coffee and sit down on your sofa and enjoy the hemp flower pre-rolls you just purchased. You could call up a friend to join you on the sofa while you make fun of everything on daytime television. Then, after what would seem like an eternity of relaxing fun, but really just a moment; you check your watch and realize that you have plans to meet up with a couple of close friends, who are also medical marijuana patients.

What’s on the agenda tonight? Your plans are to drive North to Lake City and spend the evening at The Amsterdam Exchange. They will have a themed event known as the Cult Classic Movie Night. This particular night, they will be be playing the double feature of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Caddyshack. Yes, you will be comfortably sitting and smoking while watching two of your favorite classics and laughing your ass off. In addition, there will be a full food buffet, plenty of medibles, and strains of your favorite marijuana, such as purple cheese, to go around.

But while you dream about your upcoming evening, you pause to think about one of your less fortunate friends who isn’t a medical marijuana patient and therefore, doesn’t have the access the industry like yourself. What is he/she doing tonight? Your thoughts start to wonder more…

Is my friend at Cannabis City in Seattle, waiting in line with a sleeping bag until the only recreational marijuana shop in Seattle reopens on the 25th of this month? Or is my friend calling up the famous Seattle marijuana delivery service, Winterlife Cooperative, only to be told they no longer sell to anyone with a medical marijuana card? Or maybe your friend is standing on a street corner holding a cardboard sign asking for weed? Or just maybe, they are briefly going back to the black market to score some pot for the evening.

And when your friend does score some weed, then what? They can’t join you at the Amsterdam Exchange and enjoy a night of fun and 80’s cult classics. And it’s against the law for your friend to smoke cannabis at a local bar, park, or anywhere in public. The only choice they really have is to consume the herb at home. And what fun is that when all of your friend’s are hanging out in a ‘lounge atmosphere,’ smoking it up, while watching a couple cult classics from the 80’s?

Capitol Hill Needs a Recreational Marijuana Retail Store

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UPDATE: Here is a list of Seattle pot stores where you can purchase legal marijuana.

I get the 1000ft rule, that states recreational marijuana retail stores need to be that distance away from public schools, parks, arcades, etc. I get it. I really do. Actually, not really. I think the rule is somewhat laughable. Maybe the Washington State Liquor Control Board didn’t think it was laughable, but they thought better, at least they thought it was too restrictive and proposed changes.

But seriously, the 1,000 foot rule? Even the proposed changes to the rule? Neither one makes sense. And I don’t get it when i hear a parent say “Oh, thank you so much for looking out for the kids.” Really? It doesn’t make sense because there are other things way more harmful than marijuana within that 1000ft rule.

For example, every day kids are walking by bars that advertise and serve alcohol, and stores that advertise and serve alcohol and cigarettes. And both of these vices are way more harmful than marijuana. Also, what about the things you don’t see. Like the hard drugs being dealt on the street or between students in or near the schools? And we’re worried about a plant that makes people happy, sold behind closed doors, only if you have the proper identification?

Because of this rule, there are no cannabis licenses set aside for the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Think about that. The counter-culture hub of Seattle, the most densely populated neighborhood of the city, and huge supporters of I-502 – in the current state – will not be home to a recreational marijuana store. Let the Boo birds fly.

Imagine if Bob Marley was still alive, sitting backstage with 9 other headlining musicians at a music festival. A total of 10 musicians. Now imagine if there were only 9 joints to go around and everyone got one, except for Bob Marley. Wouldn’t that be odd? The face of cannabis without a joint? Sure others would share with him, but that’s not the point. Bob Marley always gets a joint. No matter what.

I’m not saying Capitol Hill is Bob Marley. But I am willing to bet that more people smoke weed here than any other neighborhood in Seattle. So for all intensive purposes, Capitol Hill IS Bob Marley. For Capitol Hill not to have a recreational cannabis retail shop would be really odd.

If there are going to be recreational marijuana retail shops, then Capitol Hill in Seattle needs one. This area is well known as the counter culture and progression hub of Seattle and should continue to represent and carry that torch. Besides, with all of the gentrification going on it needs a little bit of that edge back.

In addition, with so many people living in this area, there needs to be easy and safe access to purchase marijuana legally, especially with the announcement that recreational marijuana delivery services may be banned.

But there is hope. And every time I walk down Olive Way I am reminded. There is a stretch of commercial property where Holy Smokes, Apocalypse tattoo, In the Bowl, and Arabica Lounge reside. Every time I walk past this building and these businesses, it reminds me of something out of Amsterdam. And the picture would be complete, if the former Bus Stop Bar, would be converted to Capitol Hill’s first recreational retail marijuana dispensary.

This is possible because a license had been turned in for this location last December. It all depends on if the proposed rule changes will go into effect and if this applicant wins the recreational retail marijuana license lottery going on this week. Don’t hold your breath though because 2/3 of the vote is needed to change the rule, and this applicant needs to win 1 of 21 retail cannabis licenses for the city of Seattle.

But as long as the Bus Stop remains empty, waiting for a new business to walk in, I am going to hold out hope.