Marijuana and alcohol theft not uncommon in Seattle

Pot cookies, like these,
stolen from NE Seattle
marijuana dispensary.

On Friday, I posted information about North Seattle crime related to marijuana, including the sale of pot brownies to middle and high school students.  Yesterday, the Seattle Police Department shared information about recent robberies at North Seattle marijuana dispensaries.  Apparently, during one of the robberies in NE Seattle pot cookies were among the items stolen.

Marijuana is not the only drug targeted by thieves.  Theft of hard alcohol has been a problem since the approval of I-1183, the initiative that privatized the sale of hard alcohol, the Prevention WINS coalition learned during a recent general meeting.  Unless the items stolen value at least $1,000, the King County Prosecutor's Office generally does not prosecute offenders.  Both the Seattle Weekly and the West Seattle Herald reported on alcohol thefts recently. 

As the Seattle Weekly notes, youth who are caught with alcohol (minor in possession) generally are not charged with a crime but are referred to the King County diversion program. 

Teen marijuana use: a medical perspective

Over at Seattle Children's Teenology 101, an adolescent medicine physician posted information about teen marijuana use.  Here is an excerpt:

Popular movies and TV shows frequently refer to marijuana use as if it’s normal and perfectly acceptable (have you seen the movie Friday or watched That 70′s Show?), yet rarely portray any of the dangers. The harmful health effects of marijuana include worsening of lung function, lack of motivation, increased appetite, poor concentration, poor sleep, and even gynecomastia (or breast tissue development) in males. 

More information about adolescent marijuana use may be found at:

-- the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute at the University of Washington;

-- the Journal of the American Medical Association reporting on a study that found that "persistent marijuana use beginning in adolescence is associated with a decline in cognitive function by midlife . . ."

-- the American Academy of Pediatrics statement about marijuana policy.