Felony Friday: Seattle Politicians Want Pot Delivery Services To Stop Operations
Marijuana is legal in the state of Washington, but that little inconvenience won’t stop politicians from throwing people in jail for breaking the state’s marijuana distribution regulations. As we learned yesterday with breweries in Texas, just because a substance is legal, does not mean it can always be distributed in the manner customers’ demand. That would make too much sense!Up until now the Seattle Police Department has decided not to take action against marijuana-delivery services, even though the person making a marijuana delivery is technically guilty of a felony under current laws.Whether it’s the distribution of beer or marijuana, the legality of a substance alone does not equal a free market in that industry.The Stranger has the scoop on the crack-down coming to the streets of Seattle:
In a December 10 meeting, David Mendoza, a policy adviser in the mayor’s office, told a few members of the city council that the administration wants the Seattle Police Department to crack down on weed-delivery services. And in case council members doubted whether these services really exist, Mendoza told them: “The Stranger—you can open that up and find 7 or 10 business providing those services any day of the week. There’s no provision for them. We feel we should close them down.” (Has this guy ever heard of Weedmaps? Or Leafly? The pages of The Stranger certainly aren't the only place to find these services.)Anyway, it’s true, people in the know say that pot delivery is unequivocally illegal and a felony offense. It's not allowed under Washington’s medical marijuana law, or under I-502, which legalized recreational pot. The services are often accused, like some dispensaries, of providing pot without requesting a medical authorization. But until now, they've basically been ignored by law enforcement.The mayor’s office now plans to direct police to shut down the city's delivery services and possibly use what Mendoza called a “one strike” program, offering them the chance to escape criminal charges—but have their weed seized—the first time they’re caught.
What difference does it make if someone buys marijuana in a store, has it delivered to their home, or picks it up from a vending machine? How can the method of distribution be the variable that determines if a “crime” has occurred?These types of laws aren’t anything new. There are examples of this type of regulation throughout society. In many cases the government uses prohibition on certain methods of distribution in order to coerce licensing fees and prevent businesses from operating without paying a fee to the government.Citizens go along with the schemes because they do not have beliefs rooted in the philosophy of individual rights. They allow politicians to trample the individual rights of non-violent “offenders”, instead of taking a step back and considering the government is employing a double standard simply to generate more revenue.Until the people wake up this insanity will continue. Politicians deserve a share of the blame for drafting and passing these absurd laws, the police deserve some blame for signing-up to enforce the terrible laws, and common people should not escape blame entirely either. After all, it is the people’s lack of a consistent philosophy rooted in individual rights that allows the government to continue to take advantage of a populace that does not have a strong moral anchor.Check out our past editions of Felony Friday!The Lions of Liberty are on Twitter, Facebook & Google+Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!
