Crowds light joints under Space Needle as Washington state legalises marijuana

Crowds of people lit joints under Seattle’s Space Needle early on Thursday morning with scarcely a police officer in sight after marijuana became legal under Washington state law.

Hundreds gathered at Seattle Centre for a New Year’s Eve-style countdown to 12am, when the legalisation measure passed by voters last month took effect. When the clock struck, they cheered and sparked up in unison.