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In government news this week, personal possession of marijuana becomes legal in the state of Washington on Thursday, but growing marijuana and selling it will still be illegal in the state, according to a report from The Seattle Times.

The reason that growing and selling marijuana remains illegal is so the state’s Liquor Control Board has enough time to create licenses for marijuana processors, growers and retailers, which would be the first in the country. Under the current law, the only method for someone to obtain marijuana legally in the state is to be a medical marijuana patient and acquire it from a collective garden.

The United States attorney for Western Washington, Jenny Durkan, released a statement on Wednesday saying that no matter the legislation in Washington and Colorado, the ban on marijuana federally will not change. The statement did not come accompanied with legal action taken by the United States Department of Justice to block the law from becoming legal on Thursday.

The statement from the government news reads as follows:

“The Department of Justice is reviewing the legalization initiatives recently passed in Colorado and Washington state.   The Department’s responsibility to enforce the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged.  Neither States nor the Executive branch can nullify a statute passed by Congress.  In enacting the Controlled Substances Act, Congress determined that marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance.

Regardless of any changes in state law, including the change that will go into effect on December 6^th in Washington state, growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law.  Members of the public are also advised to remember that it remains against federal law to bring any amount of marijuana onto federal property, including all federal buildings, national parks and forests, military installations, and courthouses.”

Pete Holmes, the Seattle City Attorney, said that the state is operating in ‘unchartered waters.’ His comments continued with the following:

“We are trying to substitute a legal, licensed system for what is nearly a wholly illegal system. That is going to take time. What we’re doing under I-502, beginning at midnight, we’re at least not doing any more harm. We’re not enforcing an extremely unpopular law against adults who choose to consume marijuana. But unless they are an authorized medical marijuana patient, they are already obtaining marijuana from illegal sources. Washington state is awash, as are most states, in marijuana, which is one of the points about what prohibition has failed in its purpose.”

At 7 p.m. on Thursday there will be a celebration at the Seattle Center for the activation of the law. Holmes wants those in attendance to know that public use of marijuana will now be treated like alcohol, which brings a $50 fine. Holmes noted that if Seattle police issue public consumption fines, he will enforce them.

“I think the SPD will see how well people comply. If there’s unfortunate flaunting, and (people) want to test and see if the law will be enforced, well, I have better things to do with my time than to test the limits of the law. But we will enforce the law.”

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