A change in Mountlake Terrace Municipal Code that establishes offenses and provides for penalties for opening or consuming liquor or marijuana in a public place was approved by the Mountlake Terrace City Council at its Feb. 19 meeting.
In 2012, Washington State voters approved Initiative 502 (I-502), which permits the possession and use of limited quantities of marijuana for recreational use by adults over the age of 21. The Washington State Liquor Control Board is currently developing a strategy for implementing this change.
With the passage of I-502, city officials found it necessary to repeal city code containing language that made the possession of small amounts of marijuana a misdemeanor and was in direct conflict with the new state law. Additionally, I-502 provides for a civil infraction in cases where a person opens or consumes a product that contains marijuana in view of the general public; there was no provision within city laws for this infraction. The new ordinance will allow Mountlake Terrace police officers to cite violators under city authority.
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