When Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes showed up at Cannabis City last Tuesday to show his support for the stoner class on the first day of Washington state’s legal marijuana sales, he probably didn’t consider that his pot purchase would result in some form of disciplinary action before the end of the week.
However, after he left Seattle’s only licensed pot shop with a bag containing two grams of OG Pearl, he made the mistake of taking his weed back to the city’s main office, which was a violation of the municipality’s anti-drug policy. The Seattle City Drug Free Workplace policy states:
“Neither state law requires employers to accommodate the use or possession of marijuana in the workplace, and the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act requires the City to prohibit the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession or use of a controlled substance on City premises or while conducting City business on or off of City premises.”
Of course, Holmes was not on a mission to bring marijuana back to the office to get his co-workers stoned during their lunch break — he admits his mistake was largely due to a shortage of time. “When I brought the unopened marijuana to City offices — trying to keep up with a busy schedule — I nonetheless violated the City’s rules,” Holmes said in a public apology published on the city’s website. “At the end of the business day, I took the marijuana home and left it there, still unopened, before I participated in the second Community Walk of the Mayor’s Summer of Safety.”
Holmes said after discussing his violation with the City Personnel Department director, he plans to donate $3,000 to a downtown homeless shelter as retribution for his bud blunder. “I apologize to my employees, all City employees and to the public,” Holmes added.
As Holmes walked away with his marijuana purchase last week, he told reporters, “I’m keeping one bag for posterity and one for personal enjoyment at some point when it’s appropriate.”
Considering his recent troubles at the office, we suspect the “appropriate” time to smoke it came sooner rather than later.
