Kitsap County to drop marijuana possession cases

PORT ORCHARD — The Kitsap County prosecutor is the latest law official to drop cases against defendants charged solely with marijuana possession.

Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge said he doesn’t believe juries will convict pot possession defendants after voters approved Initiative 502, which will legalize up to an ounce of marijuana for adults 21 and older on Dec. 6.

Hauge estimates that between 20 and 100 cases will be dropped, some of them in the form of arrest warrants for those who failed to show up for court on charges. But he says people charged with crimes beyond marijuana possession will still face prosecution.

The Kitsap Sun reported prosecutors in other counties in Washington, including King, Pierce and Clark, have decided to dump misdemeanor marijuana cases recently.

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