TOUGH ALL OVER

You don't have to visit Nicaragua to get busted for pot. Every year in
King County, the FBI reports, police arrest around 4,000 pot smokers.

Yes, Seattle voters made pot possession the city's lowest
law-enforcement priority in 2003-Seattle officers arrest people for
pot possession at about one-tenth the rate of the state as a whole-and
thousands of people will be toking freely at Hempfest this weekend
(Sat Sun Aug 16 17 from 10 am to 8 pm in Myrtle Edwards Park). But you
can still get busted, particularly once you leave the city limits.

Pot penalties in Washington State are harsh. A single joint can land
you a misdemeanor conviction, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and
a $1,000 fine. And growing pot, selling pot, or possessing more than
40 grams is a felony, carrying a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine and
five years in prison. And beware those ganja brownies: If you're
busted with them, cops can charge you based on the weight of the
brownies themselves, not the amount of pot in them.

The slammer is only half the hell of a pot bust. If convicted, the
mark on your record interferes with getting apartments, student loans,
and jobs. And you'd better be as sober as an Amish funeral while they
piss-test you for months afterward.

Better not to get caught in the first place. Jeffrey Steinborn, a pot
defense attorney and member of the legal committee for the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), has some tips
for staying stoned and free.

AT HEMPFEST: "Don't put pot in the face of the cops who are there to
protect you," says Steinborn. However, he notes that police almost
never bust people for smoking pot at Hempfest, especially since
Seattle relaxed pot enforcement. "Remember it's not legal," he says,
"leave the bongs at home."

AT HOME: The best place to get high is at home. The fridge is right
there and cops usually need a warrant to search the place. But,
Steinborn warns, "If cops can see a bong in your house from a public
place, they may force their way in." If police try to enter without a
warrant, "Don't let them in," he says. Avoid this scenario by smoking
pot out back or at least away from the front door.

IN YOUR CAR: "The safest advice is don't smoke in the car," says
Steinborn. If you have to carry pot with you, he says, "Put it in a
smell-proof container, no exceptions."

IF YOU DO GET BUSTED: "Shut up," says Steinborn. The cops will pepper
you with questions, but "it's easier on them, not on you" if you start
yapping. Steinborn says talk to a lawyer instead. You can find
top-notch pot attorneys at www.norml.org. Good legal defense may be
expensive, but it's usually worth it.