With new City Attorneys come new policies. In the City of Seattle, a new policy has been handed down regarding marijuana possession. They aren’t going to be prosecuted any more. As a Seattle criminal attorney I both like and (sort of) dislike this. Read on to find out why.

Before we begin, however, let’s clarify what will and will not be prosecuted. First, it’s only misdemeanor cases. This essentially means any case where the person has on their person under 40 grams of marijuana. Essentially somebody that has enough on them to smoke themselves (or with their friends). No drug czars will be going free because of this.

A potential consequence that immediately jumps out to people, particularly those deathly afraid of drugs, is that marijuana use will begin to run rampant throughout the city. People will start showing up high all over the place, not just in the comfort of their own homes or their favorite dance club. For many, this will restart the drug trade.

While possible, it is unlikely that anyone will see much difference. Though at times untrue, there is still a social stigma attached to smoking marijuana, and its distinctive smell makes it likely that people will refrain, for the most part, from smoking it wherever and whenever they want. People still have to show up for work with a clear mind.

One consequence I see, as a Seattle criminal attorney, is a likely drop in revenues for some people that have been making a tidy living off of these type of cases. All that business will be gone (and the city will be saving a ton of money too). Although I don’t market to this type of crowd or do this much business, for some it could be a pretty big hit.

This also means the loss of many of the fun search and seizure cases that are out there. Seattle criminal attorneys love nothing more than to get a search and seizure case. The cops usually don’t know what they are doing, and there is typically one huge mistake made in every search and seizure case (particularly if the client was smart enough not to give consent).

In the end, this law will have one great benefit, which the City Attorney was looking for - it will save a lot of money, both in investigation, police manpower, and time in the criminal courts. And college kids and dead heads can breathe a sigh of relief.