Buffalo soldier in the heart of Washington

Washington (the state, not the city) has made history as the first in the US to legalise marijuana for adult recreational use, an occasion celebrated by dozens of users near Seattle's famed Space Needle amid blaring reggae music and a haze of pot smoke. The pre-dawn public gathering defied a key provision of the state's landmark marijuana law, which allows possession of small amounts of marijuana but forbids users from lighting up outside the privacy of their homes. The Washington law does however legalise possession of up to 16 ounces (0.45 kg) of solid cannabis-infused goods - like space cakes (i.e. brownies or cookies with weed in them) - and up to 72 ounces (2.4 kg) of weed in liquid form. OK so this new measure will mean more pot-heads in the area, but it will also mean that a new source of tax has been opened up to the state government, reggae music will become more popular, and Rastafarians can practise this important part of their religion without finding themselves behind bars.