December 7, 2012 10:05 am
A voter approved law legalizing same sex marriage also came into force with some 300 licenses being issues to gay couples in the first hours after the law went into effect at midnight.Washington had been among 20 US states to allow the uses of marijuana for physician-approved medicinal purposes. But the implementation of the initiative passed by voters in the November 6 general election marked a first in the nation. Use of marijuana for any purpose is still prohibited under federal law.
Local police were on the scene of the Seattle smoke-in but just looked on as hundreds of people lit up pungent marijuana pipes and joints at the stroke of midnight. Federal authorities had issued a warning that the pot remained a violation of federal law but there were no federal agents anywhere in sight.
Under the new law recreational smoking is permitted indoors, but remains illegal in public spaces. Seattle police spokesman Jonah Spangenthal wrote on a blog that police would grant users a "generous grace period" during which it would merely issue warnings to those smoking outside.
"Ever since I?ve lived here and I?ve lived here for 21 years, I have never seen so many happy people in Seattle," one participant told ABC News. "Why should we have to hide it, why should we have to be criminal about something that grows out of the ground?" said another.//DPA
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