Pubdate: Thu, 06 Dec 2012
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2012 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc
Contact:  http://www.philly.com/inquirer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/340
Page: A24

MARIJUANA LEGAL IN WASH. TODAY

SEATTLE (AP) - Legal marijuana possession becomes a reality in
Washington state Thursday, and some plan to celebrate the new law by
breaking it.

Voters in Washington and Colorado last month made those the first
states to decriminalize and regulate the recreational use of
marijuana. Washington's law takes effect Thursday and allows adults to
have up to an ounce of pot - but it bans public use, which is
punishable by a fine.

Still, some people planned to gather to smoke beneath Seattle's Space
Needle. Others planned to party outside Hempfest headquarters in Seattle.

Jenny Durkan, the U.S. Attorney for western Washington, sent out a
statement Wednesday saying that regardless of measures in the states,
the federal ban remains unchanged. The statement did not come with any
legal action by the Justice Department to block the law from taking
effect.
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MAP posted-by: Matt