Nowhere to light up: Restrictions, confusion could nip pot tourism in bud

While some supporters of legalized marijuana have touted the potential for a surge in pot related tourism to Washington state, there’s just one small problem: there’s virtually nowhere beyond a private residence to legally consume it.

The law prohibits people from using marijuana in any form – whether smoked, vaporized or eaten – in public, or anywhere in view of the general public. That includes the retail stores themselves.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board passed a specific rule prohibiting pot use in bars or anywhere else with a liquor license. The state law doesn’t allow the creation of clubs where the public can use their pot, says WSLCB spokesman Mikail Carpenter.

“Nothing in our licensing system allows for the licensing of these sorts of businesses.”

So where are people supposed to get high? There’s nothing preventing local jurisdictions from creating private clubs if they want too, Carpenter says.

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes has been outspoken about the need for new rules to allow places where people can gather and use their pot. City Attorney spokeswoman Kimberly Mills tells The Stranger he’s working with City Councilman Nick Licata to craft a proposal sometime this year.

There’s a big obstacle: Washington’s health laws prohibit smoking in any workplace. The state Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that applies to private clubs as well if they have employees.

“The fact is that in order to allow the smoking of anything, including marijuana, the only real choice that people would have is to have a private club that has no employees. Nobody could work there,” says Donn Moyer, spokesman for the Washington State Department of Health.

Pot tourists coming to town might figure they can just get a smoking room and light up in their hotel, but just finding a hotel that allows smoking at all is a tall order. Finding one that allows marijuana is, so far, an even greater challenge.

Seventy-five percent of all the rooms in hotels and motels around the state have to be smoke-free, Moyer says. In the Seattle-area, just a handful offer smoking rooms at all, according to a list compiled by Smokers-United.com.

After calling over one dozen hotels around the area, the Homewood Suites near the Seattle Convention Center was the only one that told us it outright allows marijuana smoking in smoking rooms.

As private businesses, the decision is ultimately up to each company. A representative for Extended Stay America said while it offers smoking rooms, it prohibits marijuana smoking. The Seattle Pacific Hotel told us the same thing.

Some hotels we contacted refused to answer whether they will allow pot smoking in their smoking rooms. Seattle’s Grand Hyatt transferred us to multiple departments before a representative finally said they refused to “participate in our survey” and hung up. So we can’t tell you what the Grand Hyatt would actually do if you lit a joint in one of their rooms.

A number of hotels surveyed earlier this year by the Seattle PI said they did not consider possession an issue, but would take action if other guests complained about the smell.

So does that mean we won’t be seeing or smelling any pot smoking around town from tourists and locals alike?

Practically speaking, of course not. Marijuana enforcement remains a low priority for law enforcement in Seattle and other municipalities. Seattle passed a token $27 fine for smoking pot in public, and Seattle Police Department spokesman Sean Whitcomb says that will only be enforced if people ignore warnings to put their pot away.

Confused? So are many of the experts.

“It’s a very complex topic,” says Moyer. “So there’s still a lot of things to sort out. This is just the beginning of figuring out what we do with marijuana in Washington.”

In the meantime, not having a place to legally light up could harsh the buzz of some people looking to visit our state to sample some of the Washington’s newest cash crop.