Seattle could open BYOB coffeeshops

Public consumption of cannabis remains illegal in the’Washington State, but a new bill could allow Seattle—and other cities—to lift this ban and open their own coffee shops.

The city's district attorney, Pete Holmes, supports the project. «The idea is to provide a place where people can use cannabis »out of public view,« which is a requirement of Initiative I-502, the law that legalized cannabis in Washington State. »Many people who would like to use cannabis don’t have the luxury of a private home, or are simply tourists visiting Seattle, for example,” says Pete Holmes.

Cannabis could be consumed on the premises, but not purchased at the coffee pot. «It’s a system BYOB: Bring Your Own Bud » (Bring your own weed)," said Holmes.

Another obstacle is the smoking ban. «We realized than hotels already have an automatic exemption from the Clean Air Act. »25% hotel rooms can be designed to allow smoking. So there is already an opportunity for that.".

Holmes suggests that one thing hotels could do is open cafes that would only allow vaporization or a tasting of cannabis-infused food. «Spraying is the logical way to do it because there is currently no scientific evidence showing that spraying has an impact on those around you.».

Will Seattle become a New Amsterdam ? «We try to avoid that nickname because of the negative connotations associated with the city,» explains Holmes. «Delivering cannabis remains illegal. It’s the sale of small quantities that they tolerate. We’re trying not to engage in the same kind of hypocrisy as the coffee shops in Amsterdam. We want a legal framework.»

Prosecutor Holmes also supports another proposal to authorize the cannabis home delivery companies.

L’Alaska has already taken the plunge At the end of last year, Denver, Colorado, was also considering how to balance the legalization of cannabis with its use in certain authorized locations.