The Dude Abides, and says “Take it Inside”

[MichaelB]

Police don’t often get good media coverage or the benefit of the doubt. I thought this was a friendly and effective way to roll the new policy on marijuana usage in Seattle.

Police website “Officers Shall Not Take Any Enforcement Action

From the press release

As we’ve told you here on the Blotter, if you’re over 21, then starting December 6th you can use marijuana, and possess marijuana—up to an ounce of marijuana buds, 16 ounces of solid marijuana-infused product, like cookies, or 72 ounces of infused liquid, like oil. But it also clearly states that you’re not supposed to use marijuana in public, and that selling it or giving it to anyone is still a felony (the state’s working on setting up a system to license growers and sellers, but it could take up to a year).
./.

Does this mean you should flagrantly roll up a mega-spliff and light up in the middle of the street? No. If you’re smoking pot in public, officers will be giving helpful reminders to folks about the rules and regulations under I-502 (like not smoking pot in public). But 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.

The thread title comes from the website, where they are using an image from The Big Lebowski as part of the communications campaign.

 

[NW-Bound]

I did not follow the MJ movement, and only discovered the legalization of it in WA and CO states after the election. Then, when I did further Web search on this topic, I found that Seattle had always been a place where MJ was tolerated, and that there had been an annual event called Hempfest, where it was said that attendees smoked pot out in the open while the police overlooked. It was a surprise to me, as Seattle is a place I have visited many times through the years, but never knew about this.

So, why should pot smokers "take it inside" now, as they never did? See this: http://www.hempfest.org.

 

[Bestwifeever]

What a great movie Lebowski is.

The headline/thread title really ties the story/post together.

 

[bld999]

The People have spoken, we will now light up, am I right?

It's frankly a bold experiment for passive aggressive Seattle, at least the spd has a sense of humor. If the feds come after us, they will get the bright lights and I bet back off.

 

[haha]

The People have spoken, we will now light up, am I right?

It's frankly a bold experiment for passive aggressive Seattle,

Could you explain this? It is hard for me to imagine how the police are supposed to enforce the ban on smoking cigarettes all over town (I mean in the city where can you get that is 25' from the nearest doorway, or sidewalk eatery, or etc.?), but not arrest pot smokers? Do the sniff test?I suppose in the middle of the street. So far, the only fatties I have seen were last Sunday walking back from a Seahawks game, where people walking down the street in the vast industrial wasteland around CenturyLink Field were smoking.

Forever there have been street corners with a lot of dealing (3rd and Pine, 23rd and E Union etc.), but these guys do not light up.

Also, I have heard this passive aggressive charge from time to time. I've lived here more than 40 years, and I don't see any more passive aggression than in any other modern PC English speaking place where people live. And a whole lot less active aggression. If given the choice, I will always opt for being the victim of passive aggression. It tends not to land you in the hospital or the morgue.

Ha

 

[bld999]

Could you explain this? It is hard for me to imagine how the police are supposed to enforce the ban on smoking cigarettes all over town (I mean in the city where can you get that is 25' from the nearest doorway, or sidewalk eatery, or etc.?), but not arrest pot smokers? Do the sniff test?I suppose in the middle of the street. So far, the only fatties I have seen were last Sunday walking back from a Seahawks game, where people walking down the street in the vast industrial wasteland around CenturyLink Field were smoking.

Forever there have been street corners with a lot of dealing (3rd and Pine, 23rd and E Union etc.), but these guys do not light up.

Also, I have heard this passive aggressive charge from time to time. I've lived here more than 40 years, and I don't see any more passive aggression than in any other modern PC English speaking place where people live. And a whole lot less active aggression. If given the choice, I will always opt for being the victim of passive aggression. It tends not to land you in the hospital or the morgue.

Ha

Mostly I'm just clowning around, I don't smoke anything at all. IMO, sure there are ordinances about cig smoking, I notice it violated all over, nobody seems to care. Likely the cops have better things to do and would respond in case of complaints only. If people end up minding their own business and smoke the good stuff outside, I'm guessing the same applies.

I hear from out of staters moved here " you guys are so reserved, you don't honk your horns, don't tell me directly what you want or object to, [etc] now, where I come from..."

I hear regularly that people are not "direct"
here. Maybe it's a ballard thing, scandinavians.

 

[HFWR]

Never really been able to understand the fuss about marijuana, and certainly not the expensive, ill-conceived, and non-productive "War on [-]Pot[/-] Drugs"...

Traffic - Light Up or Leave Me Alone - YouTube

 

[haha]

I hear regularly that people are not "direct"
here. Maybe it's a ballard thing, scandinavians.

Maybe you are right. I do think that for the most part people everywhere I have been hide tend to hide their real feelings. Southerners are masters at hiding behind a wall of politeness that has been carefully constructed over many generations.

There is a lot of difference in surface warmth/coolness. That may have originally been the Scandinavian influence. I certainly noticed it much more years ago when I first came here, and when this city had not experienced its huge growth from educated young people working in software. A Swedish woman i know very well (Swede, not raised in US) explains it simply. "I'm Swedish, Swedes are cold".

Ha

 

[bssc]

I am reminded of the end of (Alcohol) prohibition. It took a combination of states stopping enforcement and governments reaching out for more money in a downturn. I have seen that the tax receipts for MJ could be in the hundreds of millions since there will be a 25% tax.

Prohibition in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia