| Photo: Seattle P.I. |
| THC-attle loves cannabis: Comely reveler at Seattle HempFest |
They don’t call it THC-attle for nothing. The Seattle City Council has voted to officially support bills currently before the Washington Legislature which would decriminalize adult possession of marijuana.
“[…]We support reclassifying possession of small amounts of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction,” the council’s official statement said.
Council members Monday unanimously passed Resolution 31174, which sets the 2010 state legislative agenda for the city. The agenda includes support of SB 5615 and HB 1177, the decrim bills introduced by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Rep. Dave Upthegrove.
The bills would reclassify adult possession of marijuana from a crime carrying mandatory jail time to a civil infraction imposing a $100 fine payable by mail, similar to a parking ticket, according to Alison Holcomb, drug policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Washington.
The full text of the city councils’ resolution can be viewed here. The relevant language appears in the “Law & Criminal Justice” section.
Video of yesterday’s full Seattle City Council meeting can be viewed here. The discussion of Resolution 31174 begins at 66:08; the vote takes place at 75:53.
