At Hempfest, Seattle Cops Will … Hand Out Doritos

At Seattle Hempfest, cops won’t be handing out summonses or tickets to openly dope-smoking Washington State revelers — instead reportedly planning to distribute Doritos to the stoned masses.

According to the Associated Press, the Hempfest Doritos plan has been sanctioned by head cops — and Sgt. Sean Whitcomb commented on the initiative.

Whitcomb said:

“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s meant to be ironic. The idea of police passing out Doritos at a festival that celebrates pot, we’re sure, is going to generate some buzz.”

Whitcomb, Whitcomb… that name sounds familiar. Where did we hear it before Doritos at Hempfest?

Oh. That was the guy openly endorsing a Seattle cop’s decision to do a Reddit AMA against official department rules.

Earlier this month, a Seattle cop’s unsanctioned Reddit AMA drew some attention and speculation he could be sanctioned for it — but Whitcomb commented:

“It represents a shift in police culture people hear a lot about … Five, 10 years ago, this would have been frowned upon. For the last couple of years, we’ve been working toward this — having a model of open access and understanding that our department is full of people who are good ambassadors.”

Good ambassadors, indeed. What’s a better friendly face than a guy at Hempfest giving out Doritos? It seems the move is a great way to promote a good working relationship between cops and stoners for sure, and there’s more.

The Doritos at Hempfest will be affixed with a label urging pot smokers to visit a SPD published website with a legal marijuana Q&A titled “Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use In Seattle.”

Do you think cops with Doritos at Hempfest are a good idea?