Legal Commentary

Seattle City Attorney To Dismiss All Marijuana Possession Cases

By Jeralyn

Seattle's new city attorney, Pete Holmes, says his office will no longer prosecute marijuana possession cases, and is going to dismiss those that are pending.

City Attorney Pete Holmes, who beat incumbent Tom Carr in November, said he dismissed two marijuana-related cases in his first day on the job, and several others are about to be dismissed. In addition, his new criminal division chief, Craig Sims, said he is reviewing about 50 more cases. Unless there are "out of the ordinary circumstances," Sims said, the office doesn't intend to file charges for marijuana possession.

"We're not going to prosecute marijuana-possession cases anymore," Holmes said Thursday during a public interview as part of Town Hall's Nightcap series. "I meant it when I said it" during the campaign.

Seattle has an ordinance making pot possession the lowest priority for police. Last week, a ballot initiative was filed to legalize adult marijuana possession, manufacturing and sales in the state. The Legislature is already considering bills to decriminalize and regulate marijuana, or to make it legal in the state.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on January 18, 2010 (boomark / email).