Seattle Cops To Give Out Doritos At Pot Festival
We (correctly) give law enforcement a lot of grief on this website, so it behooves me to write an article here and there when an agency actually does something right for a change.Seattle, WA Police are going to be handing out free bags of Doritos chips to the potheads at this year's Hempfest. The yearly gathering is described by the Associated Press as a...
22-year-old summer "protestival" on Seattle's waterfront where tens of thousands of revelers gather to use dope openly, listen to music and gaze at the Olympic Mountains in the distance.
Marijuana use was legalized recently for those over the age of 21 on a statewide level, though the AP article makes mention that local law enforcement has tended to turn a blind eye to use of the formerly illicit plant during the fest in years past. Seattle PD spokesman Sgt. Sean Whitcomb has this to say:
"I think it's going to be a lot of fun. It's meant to be ironic. The idea of police passing out Doritos at a festival that celebrates pot, we're sure, is going to generate some buzz."
The man is right.The bags will each provide cheesy crunch along with specifics on Washington's laws regarding marijuana use - namely that while owning under an once is legal, it is still illegal to buy, sell or give away pot if you are an individual. The state has licensed growers and stores, similar to California, that will begin rolling out sales at the beginning of 2014. It is also still illegal to use in public, which I was going to say was absurd, then realized that in most states and cities, you also can't drink outside of establishments...which I also think is ridiculous.This is a rare example of law enforcement doing the right thing on a citywide scale. In many cities, I can confidently presume that police would be waiting outside the festival for anyone foolish enough to smoke a joint in the parking lot to emerge, or would be perched waiting to pounce with undercover police during the fest itself. By taking a non-confrontational approach, the police are fostering good will and community building, rather than looking to make their mark through intimidation while adding cash to the city coffers through fees for misdemeanors.One can argue over the use of tax dollars to provide snacks, but most of us will agree that this is a better use of the police budget than on an unconstitutional DUI checkpoint.To quote Willy Wonka: "So shines a good deed in a weary world."Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!
