Seattle, WA, Washington

Smoking tolerance level [1= very illegal 5=virtually legal]: 4.8

Legislation: A majority of Washington citizens voted in favor of medical marijuana in November 1998. “Fifty-nine percent of voters approved Measure 692 on November 3, 1998. The law took effect on that day. It removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess “valid documentation” from their physician affirming that he or she suffers from a debilitating condition and that the “potential benefits of the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks.” Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act: cachexia; cancer; HIV or AIDS; epilepsy; glaucoma; intractable pain (defined as pain unrelieved by standard treatment or medications); and multiple sclerosis. Other conditions are subject to approval by the Washington Board of Health. Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess or cultivate no more than a 60-day supply of marijuan

a. The law does not establish a state-run patient registry.

AMENDMENTS: Yes.

Senate Bill 6032, which takes effect on July 22, 2007, mandates the Department of Health to “adopt rules defining the quantity of marijuana that could reasonably be presumed to be a sixty-day supply for qualifying patients.” The Department is instructed to report its findings to the legislature by July 1, 2008.

Patients who possess larger quantities of cannabis than those approved by the Department will continue to receive legal protection under the law if they present evidence indicating that they require such amounts to adequately treat their qualifying medical condition.

Senate Bill 6032 also affirms changes previously recommended by the state’s Medical Quality Assurance Commission to expand the state’s list of qualifying conditions to include Crohn’s disease, hepatitis c, and any “diseases, including anorexia, which results in nausea, vomiting, wasting, appetite loss, cramping, seizures, muscle spasms, and/or spasticity, when these symptoms are unrelieved by standard treatments or medications.”

The new law also limits the ability of police to seize medicinal cannabis that is “determined … [to be] possessed lawfully [by an authorized patients] under the … law.” Source: http://www.norml.com/index.cfm?Group_ID=4571&wtm_view=medical

Law Enforcement: There are cops. And they will bust you if it’s easy

enough for them, or if you’re being stupid enough.

Though illegal, with the new I-75 new local policy, marijuana intended for adult personal use has now been set as the lowest law enforcement priority in Seattle.

Even before I-75 passed Seattle police pretty much didn’t worry about pot smokers. According to a November 3, 2005 article in the Denver Post (Police Likely to Ignore Pot Vote, by Christopher N. Osher), in 2003 Seattle prosecuted 178 people for possession of marijuana.

After I-75 passed in September 2003, prosecutions plunged to 59 in 2004. This is a pretty low number considering Seattle is a densely populated city, 6800 people per sq mile, of 573,000.

Starting in September, Seattle cops were ordered to ignore small-time possession and only arrest people who smoke Marijuana in public.

a more recent report added: “It does not matter that we passed the decriminalization measure….the police just ignore the law and go after the medical folks anyway…..they are very successful at driving pot out of the core area, including the places you’ve mentioned were plentyful….everything is now, once again, underground and you do a disservice to folks by suggesting that law enforcement is going easy….they are not….again, read Seattle Weekly from August 2006…and bring your own to the city…”

and also “if you get arrested with marijuana in Seattle, it is not because of the marijuana. Its because you were being stupid. They don’t care at all.”

and: ” While its “legal” for med users, you’ll find that West Net is doing their very best to kill the med community behind the scenes. The Cannacare bust is a perfect example of what I am speaking of. Cannacare was there to help med users, so for their efforts…

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/300191_potbust18.html

The medical MJ laws here are less than functional, Without getitng into the whole long list of things that leave loopholes for LEO. Just take this one example. The law sez you can possess a 60 day supply. Who is the judge of a 60 day supply. I myself consume around 1.5-2 oz per month, making my 60 day usage 3-4 oz. Is that a 60 day supply? -OR- Is my friend down the road a bit that is suffering from cancer, who is in considerable pain and suffering bad bouts with nausea. He consumes around 3.5 oz a month. So is his 7oz the 60 day limit? I hope at some point that a revised law will be passed that will help and not hurt the med community. ”

Where to Buy Marijuana in Seattle: The whole area around Pike Place. The market itself, all the way up to 4th Ave, and all up and down the waterfront area.

Our local reporter’s contribution is: “I noticed that you didn’t include the park next to Pike’s Place Market as a place to buy weed. I’ve lived in Seattle for quite a while, and this area seems to have better street deals than either the U Dist or Broadway. In the U Dis., prices can be as high as 10 bucks for .5 grams, whereas I’ve never gotten less than .7 for 10 at the park, and it usually ends up being more like a gram.”

Another local reporter argued: “Buying off the street around Pike’s Place and downtown Seattle is extremely risky. Of the 6 times I’ve bought, 4 times, from 4 different people, I was given a bag of green shredded paper. Everybody is scamming like crazy.”

There are numerous dealers who work by beeper – you can get their numbers at any local head shop. Of course, you must be careful with who you ask or buy from, especially when making a purchase on the street.

a report from one of our surfers who actually tried to get some M-J in Seattle: ” I’m a new arrival in Seattle, and a couple weeks ago I tried the park next to the Pike Place Market. I have to agree with the other reporter who said that the place is full of scammers. I got ripped off twice in a row, and that was enough for me (I didn’t need to wait until 4 out of 6 to get the message!). I went to craigslist and got hold of a much more reliable-sounding distributer who will be coming by my apartment shortly. The park is fairly “street”, and I think if you don’t look the part (i.e. you’ve got something to lose) they will rip you off without a second thought.”

and the latest reports we have noted that: “you can go to the westlake mall in downtown seattle. look for the skater/hip hop kids sitting on the cement “couch” outside of starbucks or go across the street to the arch thingy. you can usually get a dime or a “twamp” here. do not buy from junkies or crackheads. do not go into any allies with anyone. if you happen to be in town during one of seattle’s many festivals, such as hempfest or folklife, you should go there instead. you can find all kinds of herb at the festivals.”

and also: ” I’m not sure what the deal is with the reports here saying that you can’t buy (or can’t buy w/o getting ripped off) weed next to pike place mkt anymore. I went up there this friday and had no trouble. Walked towards pike place, making eye contact with a guy sitting on one of the benches by the water fountain. walked away with 4 good quality dime bags. total time to score like 1 minute. I didn’t see any signs of LE, and the dealer didn’t seem overly cautious or anything, so I’d guess its still easy and safe to buy here.

For the people who said they’ve been ripped off – if you follow the rule of NEVER handing over any money until you have the weed in your hand and have examined it (the smell of good buds can’t be faked afaik), it would be hard for them to rip you off with green paper or somesuch.”

and: “Be careful near the park next to the Pike Place Market. There are bike cops there constantly and you often see them busting people. I eventually scored some bud after i got ripped off twice and someone attempting to give me pesticides and grass clippings instead of weed.”

and: “I am not a racist, but this is the number one advice you must take to avoid getting ripped off in Seattle. DO NOT buy from the guys on University Ave. They will rip you off, I have had an experience with this where I had to get in a guys face for 20 minutes just to get my money back, which at first didn’t seem possible. The dreaded hippies are who you need to ask, and you will find it every time. I am 4/4 going to the U-district on University Ave, just make sure you go during the day and not at night to look.”

and: “I’ve had good luck with the park (Victor Steinbrueck Park) north of Pike Place Market. Not once have I walked away empty-handed, and usually I’m approached within a minute — if not, I just look around until I spot a deal being made and then approach the dealer once he’s done with the customer. Quality tends to be pretty good.

Two consumer tips:

1) Don’t ask for a dub sack (i.e., $20). In my experience, you’ll get the same amount — usually about .7 grams — as if you asked for a dime bag (i.e., $10). I think the dealers just stock one size and sell it for whatever you’re willing to spend.

2) Sometimes the person who approaches you is actually a broker of sorts. The good news is that these people won’t ask for your money up front — instead, they’ll get the dealer and bring him over to you. The bad news is that the middleman will usually ask for $5-$10 for his “services.” I’ve been able to decline this “surchage” — they seem not to ask until you’ve paid the dealer and been given the goods — but it can be a little intimidating.”

and also: ” i just wanted to add that in the park next to pike place market i have always had good luck. most locals are very friendly and will help you find what ever you are looking for especially if you are willing to share. i have always found the best buds accross the street from the park next to pike place. if you get a dealers number they can usually get you about anything you want and alot are willing to meet you anywhere in the city.”

and: “I just got back from Seattle’s University street between 45th and 50th. I could not score no one asked me to buy and those I asked (2) told me they didn’t know. Cops drove down university every 15 min. and once parked their car and hung out for a while. Maybe I look like a cop or something but for me it was a complete bust. I went over to the park near Pike’s Place and it was “street”, still no dice two bike cops watched the park from a half a block away the whole time.”

Seattle Marijuana Prices: Depends on who you know, if you’re a regular buyer

from a dealer, usually, you can find the main source of supply, and can get

pretty sweet prices (1/8ths for sometimes $30 or so).

Standard pricing as everywhere else, mostly though. 1/8 for $40, 1/4 for

$80-$100, etc etc. Again, it also depends on what you’re buying.

and also: “If you know someone, you can get an ounce of BC Bud for $200, though the average is between 240-260. The locally grown afghan indica and F1 hybrid varieties are higher quality, and you usually pay between 280-300 for an ounce of that chronic.”

Brands: Everything under the Sun. Sometimes depends on the

season, as outdoor grown weed is a large percentage of what is sold.

But you can get everything from purple, to AK, BC, and various hybrids are

the most common. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to get some high ranking

stuff (northern lights, white widow, etc)

Special Marijuana Events: The Seattle Hempfest is conducted once a year, usually on August, and is actually the largest event in the US.

Country: United States

Time Zone: GMT/UTC –8 hours

Dialing codes: + 1 (USA) + 206 / 425 / 253 / 360

WeBeHigh reporter Update:

“I decided to check out University Way NE (the Ave) between 45th and 50th streets because of the info from a report on this website. I have since been there twice to buy herb, and it is way easy to score some great buds there. All you have to do is walk down the street and either ask somebody, or wait for somebody to offer to sell weed to you. I find that its helpful to smoke cigarettes as you walk, then when somebody asks to bum a cig off you, ask them where to score some herb – many people will be willing to help you out. The second time I purchased pot on the Ave it was some real dank shit. The first time it was about average (for local standards) but still good.

Marijuana prices: I believe $40 per 1/8 is about average. However, today I got a 1/4 of dank buds for $80, and the guy I got it from seemed a bit surprised his source “only” gave me $20 back from the $100 bill I gave him.”

More information: Many cities claim to be pot-friendly, and probably are compared to most of America. However, I would say Seattle truly is pot friendly, even compared to other “pot-friendly” cities. With just 59 pot prosecutions in 2004, we have the statistics to back it up.

According to the same Denver Post article cited above, “Denver officials say the outcome (of Initiative 100) will be more like Oakland, where police are ignoring a pro-marijuana measure voters approved last year. Oakland police continue to arrest people who use marijuana, say city officials and pro-marijuana proponents there.

The (Denver) City Attorney’s Office last year prosecuted 1,565 people (compared to 59 in Seattle) last year under state law, which calls for a fine of not less than $100.”

Don’t hang around there after dark. The place fills up with crackheads. And not the isolation crackheads, but the ones that bother you constantly. And sometimes there are some asshole wannabe “gangstas” who will hassle you. Cops during the lunch hours. From 12:00pm-4:00pm, cops are pretty regular, but don’t bother you unless you’re being super careless.