Ridiculous, "progressive," do-goodism like this shit is why Seattle will always be a provincial shithole.

But what about the hazards of vape juice chemicals ? Our poor kids. You could direct the 95% tax to emphasis patrols by the police around the stores and lounges.

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/ol…

Perhaps allowing young people of African descent to congregate and talk in places that don't serve alcohol or have loud music is really no different than allowing yuppies to sit in Starbucks...

@3, they tried to tax that too... remember the latte tax ?

Those 'steam stones' look like a good way of distributing marijuana extractives, which are nicely free from non-useful and potentially injurious material, but being concentrated, of which are easier to use too much---the higher the concentration, the harder to titrate accurately, and most people's errors tend toward the excessive rather than the insufficient.

Pioneer is right: Seattle, in spite of its pretentions, is a hick town at the end of the road.

ChefJoe is right: We must think of the children. Perhaps we can revive the latte tax and add to it a steam stone tax, which will surely quell violence, especially around bars that sell alcohol, and public parks, the Metro bus tunnel and in private homes in all of Seattle's neighborhoods where domestic violence rears its ugly head.

OldWhitWoman is right: Black people have been congregating peacefully in an infinite variety of places since they migrated out of the the savannahs of Africa, and 99.99% of the time they have done so peacefully, as have white people at $SBUX.

Gerald Fnord is right: Steam stones can be the basis of MJ parlors, which will surely never be crime magnets, especially if they are largely frequently by white steam stoners.

Mayor Ed Murray is right: Keep up the good work, Ed. We love your Clown Show.

Hey why isn't Sean's post above about the poem on the pipe there commentonable? It's not even like one of the standard weekend posts that require click thru to the paper's page. It's just dead. Fun post though.

Pete Holmes hasn't done his research correctly if he thinks this will work or is any more legal of a business model for the lounges to employ.

Under state law County Health Depts are empowered with enforcement of the No Smoking ban (RCW 70.160) and King County Health Code treats vaporizers exactly the same as cigarettes!

The use of neither is allowed in a public place or within any place of employment.

King County Board of Health

At the December 16, 2010 meeting, the King County Board of Health passed the following regulations in regards to electronic cigarettes:
1. Prohibits selling electronic cigarettes to minors.
2. Prohibits offering free or nominal cost electronic cigarettes.
3. Prohibits electronic cigarette use in all areas where smoking is prohibited by law.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices…

(This is why you can't vape in bars in Seattle, btw.)

So tisk-tisk Heidi --and Stranger editorial staff!-- for not checking-up on that little fact. But I guess it does give you something to call the mayor's office about on Monday, though!