It doesn’t matter where I go these days in Seattle. Capitol Hill, Downtown, Belltown, or Industrial District. I always end up walking through a cloud of smoke. Not that I mind. In fact, I don’t. I simply enjoy the smell of cannabis in the air. It reminds me of Amsterdam.

Every time I walk through a cloud of smoke, I always think about the question I have been asked many times: Where are people going to smoke in Seattle, without any places to smoke, besides their own home? The only answer I come up with time after time is: ‘outside!’

And why not? After all, there is really no incentive for a person of ‘legal’ age NOT to light up outside.

First of all, smoking marijuana is not allowed at local marijuana retail shops, bars, clubs, etc, and the majority of hotels have shied away from allowing guests to smoke. Unless you own your own house, or live in an ‘relaxed’ apartment complex, there is really no place to smoke indoors.

Secondly, a fine for smoking outside is the same as consuming a beer in public. Most likely, you not see the $27 fine at first, because law enforcement is encouraged to give you a warning. With the amount of people lighting up in public, and as relaxed as the local marijuana laws are, you would be ‘quite unlucky’ if you were one of the few that were handed a fine.

With really no place to smoke your newly purchase weed, a nice sunny day in the city, and a just a ‘slap on the wrist’ even if you do receive a fine; as long as you are being discreet about it, mindful of others, families, and kids, why wouldn’t you light up in public?