Is it legal to smoke pot at an outdoor concert in Washington State?
It’s the concert season and you can be indoors or outdoors but if you are at a show, it is not unusual to catch the skunky aroma of cannabis in the air. It is legal to smoke pot in Washington state but what does the law in Washington say about smoking weed at outdoor concerts.
The simple answer is, it’s not, any time anywhere legal to smoke pot in a public place in Washington State.
According to WA.gov “Washington State law protects private marijuana use, so you can consume openly in a residence as long as the property owner allows it. It is illegal to consume marijuana in public. This includes streets, sidewalks, parks (including state and federal), public hiking trails, and ski resorts.”
By extension that would include theatres and concerts. Also keep in mind that "the penalty for opening a package of or consuming marijuana, useable marijuana, or marijuana-infused product in view of general public is a civil fine of $103."
It was just a few weeks ago that there was a massive drug bust at the Dead & Co. Concert at the Gorge in George that included a large quantity of cannabis.
Authorities Seize Over $200,000 Worth of Drugs at Dead & Company Concert (kpq.com)
I have been at shows over the last few years where you could smell pot smoke and we would just smile and ignore it, but keep in mind if a police officer is in the vicinity, it’s their job to seek you out and bust you.
Don’t smoke pot in public and please don’t drive impaired. Thanks.