I thought it was funny that the minute Initiative 75 passed in Seattle, our mainstream news was flooded with spin control. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) came on TV, concerned only for citizen safety, of course, and said this would only increase marijuana arrests. Fascinated at how an initiative that clearly demoted marijuana arrests to the lowest priority for the Seattle Police, could somehow increase minor pot busts, and the concept that this fact could have eluded the cohesive marijuana rights community that promoted this initiative, I listened on. The SPD claimed citizens had been calling their offices asking if they could just smoke marijuana in public in Pioneer Square now! The police have supposedly had to tell these moronic citizens that marijuana is still illegal in Seattle. Supposedly, the concept of more busts due to the initiative passing, is based on this premise. That morons now think marijuana is legal in Seattle. I think the 50 idiots in Seattle who believe that would have figured out a way to get arrested for pot possession, whether or not I-75 passed. Those are the same 50 people who think Hempfest is a place to smoke and sell pot every year. Hempfest is on public park property. That would be a foolish place to smoke or sell pot. It is a place to get educated on issues regarding marijuana laws and medical marijuana benefits for the truly ill. It is not a place to score pot. Most people can clearly differentiate between those two things. But every year a few idiots have to play out the "getting arrested at Hempfest" scene. And so, I assume those are the same small minority that cannot figure out the difference between I-75's lowering priority of minor pot busts in Seattle, and pot being legal now.

Now, another interesting train of logic is that you would think any legislation that was increasing pot busts would be something police would want and they would be quiet about it. So, it is highly suspect that the people who normally work to reduce pot busts are praising this initiative as a victory, and the people who usually work to increase busts of all kinds, the police, are somehow now concerned that pot busts may increase and they want to warn citizens? Does anyone else see anything very bizarre about that behavior? All I can conclude is the police, sort of, feel like they have pie on their face regarding this. Obviously, something happened to make Seattle citizens gather signatures, and vote, about something like police criminalizing people over minor marijuana possession. And the people won.

I also enjoyed Seattle's Mayor Nickels coming on the TV news, saying this is the way it was anyway, so it will have little effect. I actually think that is not true. I-75 includes a review of what the police have done. It includes an accounting of the percentages, to track the amount of energy and resources they waste on minor pot busts, to make sure they actually do prioritize other, more important and dangerous things. It has long been a joke--or urban reality (you pick)--that police make pot busts to avoid having to make crack busts, which are inherently more dangerous. It does seem the police waste incredible energy, time, and money on minor pot busts, avoiding the complex and more serious problems out there, like child abuse and domestic violence, the homeless not having shelters, and the waiting lists for serious drug addict recovery programs in Seattle. In a society ridden with alcoholics, deadly drunk drivers, easy accessibility of alcohol to minors, and the wide swath of damage alcoholism leaves in families in America, it seems incredibly bizarre to spend so much energy on minor pot possession, which leaves far less a mark on society than alcohol does.

I think it is good that I-75 passed, so that we all have a clear agreement between the Seattle Police and the people they are here to serve regarding minor pot possession in Seattle. It is now clear that the people of Seattle do not feel there is a community benefit in criminalizing the youth over minor possession. The people also feel it is ridiculous to interfere with adults' privacy rights when they are responsible marijuana users who have no incidents of drug arrests or social irresponsibility in any way.

The citizens also want the terminally ill to not have to live in fear of arrest due to their need for medicine that is currently outlawed by an archaic prohibition system that directly benefits the alcohol and tobacco industries. The prohibition on marijuana is well on its way to being overturned in some of our cousin countries, such as Britain and Canada. The waste of lives in jail for these types of possession crimes is criminal in itself. Or as a friend pointed out, jail is much more dangerous to your health than pot!

I am inclined to not believe what the police are saying about their grave concerns for the citizens, that this will increase pot busts among morons. I think on the whole, I-75 will reduce arrests; it must reduce arrests--that was the whole purpose of the initiative!