Pot Paradox Paradox: Are Things Really That Bad For Seattle Pot Smokers?
Seattlecrime.com has learned that this week—possibly later today—Mayor Mike McGinn’s office will release a statement refuting a recent story by The Stranger that asserts that Seattle police are aggressively going after marijuana users, making more pot arrests than ever. The Stranger’s piece, Pot Paradox—published the week of Hempfest—claims that between January and June of this year, pot arrests doubled when compared to the same period last year: Between January 1 and June 30, Seattle police have arrested 172 people for marijuana possession, according to records obtained from the Seattle City Attorney’s Office. While that’s not a lot compared to, say, New York City, that’s far more than double the rate of arrests at the midpoint of last year[.] The piece also claims data from the City Attorney’s office indicates “the number of people arrested just for pot…is astronomically higher now” and that “this year, 147 people have been referred to prosecutors with pot as the only charge.” The
