Seattle police prefers you get baked inside, but won’t cite smokers in public

Man, I love a police department spokesman with a sense of humor.

As earlier reported, the Seattle Police Department compiled, “Marijwhatnow,” a Q & A about Initiative 502; we had our own version in today’s newspaper.

The author of the Seattle PD’s police blotter, Jonah Spangenthal-Lee, continued on his reader-friendly roll yesterday, posting that Seattle officers who see people smoking pot in public will only issue a warning. He wrote:

“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.”

Spangenthal-Lee even referenced one of the many memorable characters from the Coen brothers’ 1998 movie, “The Big Lebowski,” in coming up with a slogan:

“The Dude abides, and says, “Take it inside.”

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For the record, Paul Suarez did ask Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman, Kim Kapp, if VPD officers would cite people for smoking pot in public. She said officers won’t be looking for people to cite, but if they do see people smoking marjuana, they may give a warning or citation.

Stephanie Rice

Stephanie Rice

I cover Vancouver city government. Reach me at stephanie.rice@columbian.com or 360-735-4508.

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