Br. John wrote: Hi people in Colorado and Washington. How are things since marijuana became legal?
The City of Seattle more or less decriminalized marijuana 10 years ago, making it the city's lowest law enforcement priority, and people were rarely prosecuted for carrying small amounts of marijuana meant for personal use.
From Wikipedia: "Seattle, Washington: Initiative 75, passed by the 58% of Seattle, WA voters in September 2003, requires that "the Seattle Police Department and City Attorney's Office shall make the investigation, arrest and prosecution of marijuana offenses, when the marijuana was intended for adult personal use, the city's lowest law enforcement priority.""
Since then, the city, King County (where Seattle is located), as well as a number of independent organizations, have increased the availability of (honest) drug education programs and the amount of resources for people with addiction issues. These programs/resources are closely tied to and promoted by other (often free of charge) health clinics, which help people with mental health issues, STDs, and so on.
I think voters were comfortable when the ballot for legalization came through (in part because of the progress that's been made in the last 10 years) and were satisfied that the universe wasn't going to implode if legalization occurred. It was also generally agreed upon that a ton of time and money were being wasted on marijuana possession convictions, so we legalized it.
Thus far, everything has gone smoothly in terms of the transition. State government still has a few things to work out on their end (agreements with marijuana farmers and such), but by the beginning of next year anyone over the age of 21 will be able to show ID and purchase marijuana and/or marijuana edibles at specialty shops. There are already a bunch of new shops opening, but I don't know what they're selling (if anything other than medical marijuana).
I was at the Solstice Parade/Festival yesterday, and a fair percentage of people were hanging out or walking about naked, smoking pot. Seattle also holds Hempfest every summer. Those who have strong feelings against drug use, diverse expressions of sexuality, and rain are better suited to locations outside of Western Washington.
