Washington Smoking Laws: Advice for Enjoying a Smoke?

[Gerald Boone]

Yeah but they are ok with zombie people on their streets laying in sidewalks...what a hypocricy

Totally agree and somehow marijuana smells all over Los Angeles. I think the clouds of smog they cry about and blame cars about is in reality marijuana. I had a conference in Los Angles and I couldn't escape the smell of marijuana; it was everywhere. Los Angeles rant: The hotel demanded we each leave a $500 deposit with them for "incidentals" at check in; $500 who they think I look like the lead singer for Led Zeppelin. A then, 62 year old man, they expect me to throw a television out the window. Then they gave the speech on tobacco use anywhere near the hotel; they wanted my $500. No more conferences in Los Angeles, glad I'm retired.

 

[Auxsender]

Yeah but they are ok with zombie people on their streets laying in sidewalks...what a hypocricy

Please tell us more about these “zombie people” you’ve seen.

 

[TN Jed]

Please tell us more about these “zombie people” you’ve seen.

It's called tranq and the zombies it creates are surreal when witnessed in person. Philadelphia has city blocks full of them.

 

[dottlejockey]

Just curious, but have any of you personally been confronted by an officer and fined for smoking in public?

Nope.

 

[OverMountain]

“Never let the army separate you from your canteen”

 

[pappymac]

I've lived in Seattle and Tacoma. Anyone who wants to smoke, and there are many, smoke anything they want, wherever they want. In Seattle the police were told years ago to not bother anyone smoking marijuana in public.

WA state and Seattle have all sorts of weird laws that they have no intention of enforcing. Tacoma is a free-for-all in almost every regard imaginable. I like it quite a bit.

I think the term is selective enforcement.
There are so many laws on the books that - in my opinion - it would be hard to enforce every single law, so law enforcement selectively enforces the laws that it can and those are for more serious offenses. The only time some laws are enforced are when they can be piled on to other offenses. The one non-smoking example I can think of is the laws requiring drivers to turn on their headlights when its raining.

 

[pappymac]

I remember commuting on the bus to work a few years ago and this one bozo came and sat down next to me and starting smoking a rock. I told him to get the **** off the bus and he left… there’s a reason I left WA…

When I was stationed in Seattle from 1975-78, I worked for a Chief Petty Officer who was a pipe smoker. He would smoke his pipe on the bus and no one said anything because other people were smoking cigarettes.
He was so hard core that he would rotate the stem so the pipe bowl was facing down so he could smoke in the light Seattle rain.

 

[fishmansf]

When I was stationed in Seattle from 1975-78, I worked for a Chief Petty Officer who was a pipe smoker. He would smoke his pipe on the bus and no one said anything because other people were smoking cigarettes.
He was so hard core that he would rotate the stem so the pipe bowl was facing down so he could smoke in the light Seattle rain.

Washington will always be my home and I love it dearly but the change that has happened over the last 15 years has been terrible. Being stationed there in the time you were there was probably its peak

 

[pappymac]

Washington will always be my home and I love it dearly but the change that has happened over the last 15 years has been terrible. Being stationed there in the time you were there was probably its peak

I should correct one thing though, I actually arrived in Seattle in March 1972 and was stationed on an icebreaker until July 1974. Spent nine months at a LORAN Station in Moclips and was reassigned to the Federal Building in April 1975.

I can believe that. We used to walk from Pier 90 to the Seattle Center without any problems. Those of us who had bikes would ride from the Pier to Ballard or Green Lake on the weekends. In fact, all the parks in Seattle were clean and not overrun by tents. Pike's Market used to stink but it was only around the fish market.

Was there homeless in Seattle back then? Yes, but it wasn't the same problems as it was 10 years ago when one of our daughters attended the Seattle Art Institute for two years. I know where I place the blame but won't mention it...

 

[DeaconPiper]

When I was stationed in Seattle from 1975-78, I worked for a Chief Petty Officer who was a pipe smoker. He would smoke his pipe on the bus and no one said anything because other people were smoking cigarettes.
He was so hard core that he would rotate the stem so the pipe bowl was facing down so he could smoke in the light Seattle rain.

Now that is one cool feller, and those were the days!

 

[DeaconPiper]

I should correct one thing though, I actually arrived in Seattle in March 1972 and was stationed on an icebreaker until July 1974. Spent nine months at a LORAN Station in Moclips and was reassigned to the Federal Building in April 1975.

I can believe that. We used to walk from Pier 90 to the Seattle Center without any problems. Those of us who had bikes would ride from the Pier to Ballard or Green Lake on the weekends. In fact, all the parks in Seattle were clean and not overrun by tents. Pike's Market used to stink but it was only around the fish market.

Was there homeless in Seattle back then? Yes, but it wasn't the same problems as it was 10 years ago when one of our daughters attended the Seattle Art Institute for two years. I know where I place the blame but won't mention it...

I too was stationed on an icebreaker in Seattle, but in 1999. Very fond memories bicycling everywhere, eating $6 patty melts with fries at the Hurricane Cafe, and 95-cent gasoline downtown.

Of course, everyone was subjected to the WTO demonstrations, but Seattle was a different world even in those days. Most of us look backwards with rosy glasses, but Seattle was overwhelmingly cleaner, safer, affordable, and with a better soundtrack.

Not to mention, liberals were antiwar and anti-globalist.

 

[pappymac]

I too was stationed on an icebreaker in Seattle, but in 1999. Very fond memories bicycling everywhere, eating $6 patty melts with fries at the Hurricane Cafe, and 95-cent gasoline downtown.

Of course, everyone was subjected to the WTO demonstrations, but Seattle was a different world even in those days. Most of us look backwards with rosy glasses, but Seattle was overwhelmingly cleaner, safer, affordable, and with a better soundtrack.

Not to mention, liberals were antiwar and anti-globalist.

Polar Star or Polar Sea?
I worked on the commissioning packages for both of them.
I had duty the day Captain Venzke ran the Polar Star aground during the pre-commissioning sea trial and did the engineering photos of the broken screws when after it limped back to Seattle after its first trip to the ice.

I was on the USCGC Staten Island (WAGB-278) which was decommissioned in 1974.

 

[DeaconPiper]

Polar Star - - for about six months. The rest of my enlistment on base cooking, which wasn't too bad. Do wish I had traveled more in the Guard. It was when I got out that I lived in Italy, India and Alaska.

 

[ashdigger]

I was in Seattle about ten years ago and the hotel I was staying at had a designated smoking area. So I checked in and grabbed my stuff and a drink went to smoke my pipe.

I was there about ten minutes when a guy came out and lit up a joint. When he was done he complained that my pipe interfered with his experience.

I ignored him.

A few minutes later the hotel staff told me pipes weren’t allowed. I said but marijuana is? I was told marijuana was legal but pipes weren’t allowed and asked me to politely snuff the pipe and move on.

She then left. I stayed another hour enjoying my pipe, drink and book.

My guess is her protestations were performative.