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The big weed story in Washington that played out over last week is a story of teenagers with pot and prosecutorial misinterpretation.
Remember SB 5052, that
big overhaul of Washington’s pot laws that reconciled the state’s medical marijuana market with its recreational market, among other things?
Well, among those other things was a provision that stiffened penalties for individuals under 21 years of age caught with weed. At least, that was the initial reading from a prosecutor in southeast Washington. As first reported by the
Lewiston Tribune, three teens in Asotin County ages 14, 15 and 17 were
charged with felonies for possessing pot that could have landed them in prison for five years each.
But the prosecutor decided he had misinterpreted the law
and instead will just charge them with misdemeanors.
Here’s the news elsewhere:
A man in Denver who is accused of shooting his wife while high
has changed his plea not guilty by reason of insanity.
A Colorado congressman has introduced legislation that will ensure that a future president
won’t overturn state laws that legalize marijuana.
Get ready for
Snoop Dogg’s pot-focused media company, Merry Jane.
The Cannabist has an article about how
Mark Twain used to eat hash candies in the days before prohibition.
Marijuana-infused alcohol
could be coming to Oregon, if it gets past regulators.
Speaking of Oregon,
the state is in the process of erasing pot convictions from people’s records now that the drug is legal.