Seattle Won't Help Feds Crack Down On Legal Marijuana

SEATTLE, WA - The feds will have to pry legal marijuana from Seattle's cold, dead hands. That's the message city officials sent Thursday morning after news broke that Attorney General Jeff Sessions wants to start enforcing federal pot laws in states where it's legal.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan - who was the U.S. Attorney in Seattle when marijuana was legalized by Washington voters in 2012 - called Sessions' move an "attack on Seattle." Durkan and City Attorney Pete Holmes said that Seattle police will not help feds in any way crack down on recreational marijuana.

"Let’s be clear: Our Seattle Police Department will not participate in any enforcement action related to legal businesses or small personal possession of marijuana by adults. Federal law enforcement will find no partner with Seattle to enforce the rollback of these provisions," Durkan said in a press release.

Meanwhile, attorney Aaron Herzberg, who represents marijuana businesses, said Thursday that Sessions' new tact might be meaningless. A federal law called the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment prevents federal money from being used to interfere with state recreational marijuana schemes, Herzberg said. But that law is up for re-authorization in two weeks.

Herzberg released a statement to the media saying in part:

If Rohrabacher-Blumenauer is re-authorized, which is likely but not certain, then Session’s pronouncement today will be more bark than bite—regardless of the change in Policy the Federal government won’t permitted to pursue medical marijuana prosecutions unless there are gross violations by a marijuana operator, such as diversion of cannabis across state lines

If Rohrabacher-Blumenauer is not reauthorized then in theory the Department of justice could institute a complete crackdown on marijuana. As this amendment has been extended by Congress 7 times I am cautiously optimistic that it will be re-authorized and things will be business as usual.

Caption: Mark Burrell, right, and a man who said he goes by the name Abundis, left, smoke marijuana Monday, May 1, 2017, during a May Day protest in Seattle. The two men identify with constitutionalist and libertarian ideals and had been arguing with counter protesters when they decided to smoke pot together with their opponents.

Photo by Ted S. Warren/Associated Press