Nick Adams / Reuters

Marijuana is broken up for use by customers at Frankie Sports Bar and Grill in Olympia, Wash., on Sunday.

Pot smokers in Washington and Colorado are inhaling a little easier after President Barack Obama said the federal government has more important things to do than go after "recreational" drug users in states that legalize marijuana.

"We've got bigger fish to fry," Obama told ABC News' Barbara Walters.

He was weighing in on the issue for the first time since voters in the two states approved initiatives to legalize the recreational use of marijuana – which is still a crime under federal law.

Obama admitted this disconnect between federal and local laws had put him in a tough spot.

"I head up the executive branch. We're supposed to be carrying out laws," he said. "And so what we're going to need to have is a conversation about how do you reconcile a federal law that still says marijuana is a federal offense and state laws that say that it's legal?"

The Justice Department is still looking into how to handle the conflict. But in the meantime, Obama suggested, the feds aren't gearing up for what might be a costly, unpopular crackdown on tokers in Colorado and Washington.

Related: Americans to feds -- Keep your hands off our pot

"You've seen the voters speak on this issue. And as it is, the federal government has a lot to do when it comes to criminal prosecutions," he said.

"It would not make sense for us to see a top priority as going after recreational users in states that have determined that it's legal."

The president’s comments on the new Colorado and Washington laws echo the stand he took on medical marijuana during the 2008 campaign, when he said prosecutions would be a low priority.

Related: So where will all that 'legal' pot come from?

Two years later, though, federal authorities toughened up that stance, announcing that dispensaries and growers in 18 states that have legalized medical marijuana could be charged with violating drug and money-laundering laws. Dozens of medical marijuana collectives have been ordered shut since then.

Federal prosecutors have not sounded as relaxed as Obama about new state legalization efforts.

Hours before the law in her state went into effect, the U.S. attorney in Washington, Jenny Durkan, issued a warning that "growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law."

Related: Like Amsterdam, Washington bar owner lets patrons get stoned

Obama – who revealed in his 1995 memoir that he was a regular pot smoker in high school -- said he doesn't back wider legalization of marijuana "at this point." And he wanted to nip in the bud any suggestion that he's pro-weed.

"There are a bunch of things I did that I regret when I was a kid," Obama said in excerpts of the interview, which airs Friday on "20/20."

"My attitude is, substance abuse generally is not good for our kids, not good for our society," he said. "I want to discourage drug use."

Related: Feds fire warning shot over pot legalization

Obama was frank about his youthful drug use in his best-selling book, "Dreams from My Father."

"I blew a few smoke rings, remembering those years. Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though," he wrote.

"Junkie. Pothead. That's where I'd been headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man."

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Washington and Colorado say you can legally smoke marijuana for fun now, but here's the catch: You can't legally buy it.

M. Alex Johnson is a reporter for NBC News. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Voters in those states passed initiatives last month to legalize recreational use of marijuana. As of last Thursday, it's legal under Washington law for anyone 21 and over to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, 16 ounces of "solid marijuana-infused product" (in other words, a pound of pot brownies) or 72 ounces of "marijuana-infused liquid."

In Colorado, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed Amendment 64 to the state Constitution on Monday, legalizing not only recreational use but also home growing, unlike in Washington.

Entrepreneurs are already planning stores to get more buck for the bhang.

PhotoBlog: Pot smokers gather under Seattle's Space Needle to celebrate

"Part of the mission of our company is to transform marijuana from a back-alley drug being sold by criminals into a premium product being enjoyed by responsible adults," said Jamen Shively, chief executive of Diego Pellicer Inc., a new company that hopes to open a chain of stores in Washington and Colorado as soon as the legal issues are cleared up.

The company is named for Shively's great-grandfather, who grew hemp in the Philippines. It eventually became the biggest hemp supplier in the world around the turn of the 20th century. ("It's a family business," said Alan Valdes, a veteran securities trader who recently joined the company as chairman.)

"We're creating the category of premium marijuana," said Shively, who worked as a corporate strategy manager for Microsoft Corp. from 2003 to 2009 before leaving for a specialty food startup. "If you are producing or intending to produce premium-grade product that's in line with our ethos, we're interested in talking to you."

Americans to feds: Keep your hands off our pot

But Diego Pellicer and its customers may be in for a long wait.

The federal government still insists that marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance and that buying and selling it for any purpose remains a federal crime. Federal authorities officially even frown on the pot that patients get at medical marijuana dispensaries, although their policy is to look the other way in those cases.

For recreational users, well, "you're a felon," said Mark A.R. Kleiman, editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. "Period. End of paragraph."

And so is your retailer.

"Regardless of any changes in state law ... growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law," said Jenny Durkan, the U.S. attorney in Seattle. She said the Justice Department is reviewing its options in Washington and Colorado.

Buzzkill: Feds fire warning shot over pot legalization

Shively said that under no circumstances would his company violate federal law.

"Let's suppose tomorrow that Washington state issued licenses and said, 'Go ahead, guys, have at it.' We would say to the state of Washington respectfully, 'Thanks, but no thanks, because we haven't heard from the federal government.'"

Until then, Diego Pellicer is rounding up funding and private shareholders to be ready if and when the Justice Department changes course.

"I think it's going to be hard for the Obama administration to slap this down," Valdes said. "Washington is a liberal Democratic state that helped (President Barack Obama) get elected. The people voted for him — it would be a slap in the face."

Like Amsterdam: Washington bar owner lets patrons get stoned

Dan Satterberg, the prosecuting attorney in King County, Wash., which is home to a thriving marijuana scene in and around Seattle, thinks the Justice Department will try anyway.

The Washington and Colorado laws require state agencies to facilitate something the federal government considers an illegal act — the sale and distribution of marijuana. That raises an important states' rights question that only the courts can sort out, he said.

Satterberg told NBC station KING of Seattle that he expects the states and the Justice Department to wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court within the next couple of years to argue the issue.

KING: Clearing up the new marijuana law: What's legal?

Overlooked in the immediate reaction to passage of the initiatives, both pro and con, is an important public health question, said Kleiman, who is a professor of public policy at the University of California-Los Angeles and co-author of "Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know."

It's not the question you might expect — how much does legalization increase marijuana use? — but "how much does legalization increase abuse?" he told NBC News.

Assuming marijuana use follows the pattern of alcohol use, most of the marijuana consumed in the U.S. is used by the 20 percent minority of people who abuse it, he said. Most pot users use it now for light recreational purposes, but if it's legal, how big will that 20 percent grow?

"Nobody knows," he said.

Questions like that are why it might, in fact, be wise for the federal government to step back and let Washington and Colorado serve as laboratories, so policy makers can "find out what happens."

Watch US News videos on NBCNews.com

If it does, Shively and Valdes will be ready.

"We are building our entire business on the premise it will be sufficiently legal in the next few months or a year," Shively said — a business that will include merchandising beyond simple sales of premium pot.

"Be looking out for really beautiful vaporizing products," he said. "That will be really hot."

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Nick Adams / Reuters

Russell Diercks smokes marijuana inside of Frankie Sports Bar and Grill in Olympia, Wash., Dec. 9, 2012.

A majority of Americans want the federal government to keep out of state marijuana laws, even as overall sentiment on whether marijuana should be legalized is split, according to a new poll.

Sixty-four percent of adults responded "no" when asked whether they think the federal government should take steps to enforce federal anti-marijuana laws in states where marijuana is legal, according to the USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday.

 "The significant majority of Americans would advise the federal government to focus on other issues," wrote Frank Newport of Gallup.

In Washington and Colorado, where citizens last month voted to legalize marijuana possession, the issue of federal interference is especially salient as residents face a confusing mishmash of federal and state laws when it comes to whether and where they can get high.

That’s because the federal government still bans pot growing and possession, regardless of what state laws say, leaving many residents confused about what is legal. Some observers say it may take the Supreme Court to clear up the situation.

Americans who personally believe that marijuana should be legal overwhelmingly say the federal government should not get involved at the state level; even four in 10 of those opposed to legalized marijuana don't think federal officials should intervene.

Like Amsterdam: Washington bar owner lets patrons get stoned

It’s unclear at this point whether the Justice Department will try to stop the decriminalization of pot in Washington and Colorado, where adults 21 and older will be allowed to purchase a small amount of pot from state-licensed stores. The drug will be heavily taxed and potentially bring hundreds of millions of dollars a year for school, health care and government needs.

Although support for legalizing marijuana has risen substantially over the last four decades, the poll, which also asked participants where they stand on the issue of legalization, revealed that the public remains largely divided.

Six in 10 Americans aged 18 to 29 support legalizing marijuana, while about as many of those 65 and older are opposed. The bulk of middle-aged Americans – those aged 30 to 64 – are split on the issue of legalization. The poll also noted that Democrats were most in favor of legalization, while Republicans were most likely to be opposed.

Lawmakers in four New England states, including Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, have signaled that they plan to introduce proposals to legalize marijuana in the next year, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. Currently, 17 states and the District of Columbia already have laws allowing for the medical use of marijuana, according to the National Council of Legislatures. 

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With marijuana possession now legal in Washington state, and soon in Colorado too, residents face a confusing mishmash of federal and state laws when it comes to whether and where they can get high. 

That's because the federal government still bans pot growing and possession, regardless of what state laws say.

Last night, just hours before legislation legalizing pot in her state went into effect, U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan of Washington warned residents that "growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law."

Her words could be a buzzkill for Washington's pot-lovers, yet at midnight -- the moment Washington's law went into effect -- marijuana smokers lit up beneath Seattle's Space Needle, reveling in the joy of living in a state that allows possession of pot,  even if state law still says it is illegal to smoke it in public.

"It's too good to be just for the young," Pat Edmonson, 67, of Whidbey Island, Wash., said as she smoked marijuana in Seattle's City Center with a crowd of about 100 others who were lighting up, despite the no-pot-in-public rule. 

State leaders have appealed to the Justice Department for guidance.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Pat Edmonson, 67, of Whidbey Island, Wash., was in Seattle with her daughter to celebrate the legalization of the possession of marijuana.

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes encouraged celebrants to enjoy their highs inside closed doors.

"I think that they should acknowledge this newfound right," he told NPR station KUOW. "I think they should celebrate in the privacy of their homes if they choose to do so. And be thankful that we’re no longer arresting some 10,000 Washingtonians a year in the state of Washington and spending well over $100 million in law enforcement resources on that."

In Colorado, a measuring legalizing marijuana use and possession for those over 21 will go into effect next month. But one place where federal laws will have an impact: college campuses.

"In order not to lose federal funds, we need to comply with federal law," University of Colorado at Boulder spokeswoman Malinda Hiller-Huey told The Denver Post.

College students on campuses across the state will be issued criminal tickets if they are found with marijuana, The Post reported. Off-campus, however, students of legal age will be able to grow and use small amounts of marijuana, per the new amendment, according to the University of Colorado.

While Colorado's new weed measure doesn't have any provisions about driving under the influence built into it, Washington state will have a zero-tolerance policy.

"We've had decades of studies and experience with alcohol," Washington State Patrol spokesman Dan Coon told The Associated Press. "Marijuana is new, so it's going to take some time to figure out how the courts and prosecutors are going to handle it. But the key is impairment: We will arrest drivers who drive impaired, whether it be drugs or alcohol."

It's unclear whether the Justice Department will try to stop the decriminalization of pot in Washington and Colorado. The laws in both states allow adults 21 and older to possess a small amount of marijuana, which will be sold in state-licensed stores and taxed heavily, potentially bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars a year for school, health care and government needs.

Before the vote passed in his state, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper acknowledged the legal challenges his state would face. 

"It's probably going to pass, but it's still illegal on a federal basis. If we can't make it legal here because of federal laws, we certainly want to decriminalize it,” he told NBC’s Brian Williams.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia already have laws allowing for the medical use of marijuana, according to the National Council of Legislatures. The measures in Washington and Colorado go a step further, explicitly allowing people to smoke pot for more than just medicinal purposes.

NBC News' Pete Williams, Isolde Raftery and Jim Seida contributed to this report.

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Jim Seida / NBC News

Garth Carroll who also goes by the name of "Professor Gizmo" smokes what he describes as "good, greenhouse organic herb" at the base of the Space Needle in Seattle just before midnight on Wednesday,

Updated at 4:51 a.m. ET: SEATTLE – When the clock struck midnight here on Thursday, hundreds of gay couples were lined up outside the county courthouse to obtain marriage licenses, while a hundred or so pot-lovers gathered across town beneath the Space Needle to light up.

They could do this because last month, on Nov. 6, Washington state voters approved marriage for same-sex couples and legalizing marijuana. Both laws went into effect at midnight.

The King County Recorder's Office opened its doors to couples at 12:01 a.m. At the front of the line were Kelly Middleton, 24, and Amanda Dollente, 29. They had arrived at 4 p.m., worried they wouldn't get a spot in line. 

They had gone through three cups of hot chocolate and countless cigarettes, worried they weren't prepared and anxious that the law might suddenly change – as it did in California in 2008.

"I ran around the building asking people, 'Are we in the right place? Will you look at my paperwork?'" Dollente said.

There was concern last week that the marriage licenses would still carry the words "bride" and "groom," but officials came through in time. The county printed out 1,000 marriage licenses with "bride," "groom" and "spouse" just in case. 

A history of pot, from George Washington to legalizing ganja
Photoblog: Pot fans light up at the Space Needle

Seventy-two couples down the line were Larry Duncan, 56, a retired psychiatric nurse, and Randell Shepherd, 48, a computer programmer, of North Bend, Wash. They wore matching duck hunter hats ("a fashion statement," Duncan joked) and matching shoulder-length white beards. They've been together 11 years.

"We were at a party and we met eyes and fell in love," Duncan said.

"He came up and asked me out, and I said yes," Shepherd added.

They’re considering getting married on Sunday at a church conducting mass ceremonies for same-sex couples, even though they’re not particularly religious.

 “Enough people have told me, ‘God hates fags,’” Duncan said, who described himself as 'Old South.' “I want someone in a church to say, ‘God loves fags,’ to have that stamp on it.”

Outside the courthouse, stickers were handed out and a group sang a cappella, pulling from gospel and the musical Rent. Some wore bridal veils or matching t-shirts; supporters passed out cups of coffee; one woman provided Kleenex; many hugged and kissed.

Inside were eight couples -- some of the movers and shakers who helped to pass the law -- who had been selected as the first to receive their marriage licenses. Among them: Pete-e Peterson, 85, and Jane Abbott Lighty, 77, have been together for 35 years after meeting on a blind date and falling instantly in love. They will be getting married during a Seattle Men's Chorus concert on Sunday.

(State law requires that couples wait at least three days after obtaining their licenses to get married, which means Sunday is the earliest day they can get married.)

Peterson grew up in Alabama and was an Air Evacuation nurse during the Korean War. She adopted her sister's 3-year-old daughter and raised her. Lighty, who grew up mostly in the Bay Area, was also a nurse.

"I never thought this day would come," Peterson told every reporter who asked.

Another couple, Amanda Beane and Anne Bryson-Beane, have been together for 15 years. They have adopted seven children who are between four and 12 and who dressed up to attend the ceremony.  

Neil Hoyt, 52, and Donald Glenn Jenny, 64, have been together for 24 years and will also be getting married at the Seattle Men's Chorus concert on Sunday night (where there will be a judge and 2,000 cupcakes).

According to UCLA's Williams Institute, same-sex marriage could pump $57 million to the state economy in the first year – resulting in $5 million of tax revenue.

Two miles away, revelers prepared to roll a joint or lift a pipe – even though it is illegal to smoke marijuana in public in Washington state.

Not that the smokers were too worried. Sgt. Sean Whitcomb told The Associated Press earlier in the week that the Seattle Police Department did not expect to write many tickets – a 2003 law made marijuana the department's lowest priority.

Related: For those hazy on pot law, Seattle police produces marijuana guide

But Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes discouraged celebrants from smoking in public, telling KUOW they should smoke at home.

"And be thankful that we're no longer arresting some 10,000 Washingtonians a year in the state of Washington and spending well over $100 million in law enforcement resources on that," he added. "And especially be grateful for lessening the racially disproportionate impact that these crazy drug laws have on our communities of color."

Before midnight, the U.S. Department of Justice issued several sobering statements, reminding revelers that pot remains illegal at the federal level, and that any amount of the substance may not be brought into federal buildings, national parks and forests and military installations. And according to one statement: 

The Department of Justice is reviewing the legalization initiatives recently passed in Colorado and Washington State. The Department’s responsibility to enforce the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged. Neither States nor the Executive branch can nullify a statute passed by Congress.

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Thurston County Sheriff's Department / AP

Two 5-foot alligators were found at a home where a man was shot on Monday. Police say they're guard gators, meant to protect the resident's marijuana plants, but the man's neighbor says they're just pets.

When police responded to a shooting Monday at a Washington state home, they found marijuana plants being guarded by two, hissing, 5-foot-long alligators.

At the center of the living room was a stripper pole, because the alleged shooter’s girlfriend is an adult entertainer, police told The Olympian newspaper.

Darren C. Shore, 41, who lives just north of Centralia, Wash., was arrested at the scene on suspicion of shooting Ryan Lemcke, 30, in the bicep.

According to Shore’s account of what happened, Lemcke said he would help him move a hot tub in exchange for Vicadin pills. Shore says he disapproved of the deal and informed Lemcke’s stepmother about the drugs.

Lemcke then allegedly sent Shore a text message saying he was headed back to Shore's home, according to the Olympian. Shore told police that, fearing for his life, he armed himself with a pistol and waited for Lemcke.

At the hospital, Lemcke denied those accusations to police. Lemcke said he drove over to Shore’s house to smooth out relations after he sent Shore an angry text message.  

Both men agree that Shore stepped up to Lemcke’s truck when he arrived and started shooting, catching Lemcke in the bicep and grazing his shoulder. Lemcke said he put his car in reverse and drove off.

Shore called police to report the incident, and when police arrived, he helped them to corral the alligators into the bathtub. According to the Seattle Times, the animals were left with some raw chicken.

Shore was then booked on $200,000 bail.

In court Tuesday, the judge said he believed the circumstances could result in a first-degree assault charge. Formal charges must be filed by Thursday, according to the Olympian.

Shore’s mother said that her son uses marijuana for crippling back pain, KOMO News reported. Marijuana in Washington state was legalized during the last elections, allowing residents of the state to possess up to one ounce of pot.  

"Darren's always been a kind person, and this it totally out of character for him," Ellie Pierson-Sutter told reporters outside the courthouse.

As for the guard gators, neighbor Greg Garrison told KOMO News that those are just pets.

“The alligators aren’t for protection,” he said, “because they’ll run from you.” 

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Ted S. Warren / AP

A medical marijuana plant is shown at Seattle's Northwest Patient Resource Center medical marijuana dispensary, on Nov. 7. After voters weighed in on election day, Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow legal pot for recreational use, but they may face resistance from federal regulations.

A week after legalizing marijuana, Washington state voters may be hazy about the specifics of legal pot use. Which is why the Seattle Police Department published a tongue-in-cheek guide to pot in the Emerald City.

The basics: Washington state voters passed Initiative 502 with a 55 percent majority on Election Day. Beginning Dec. 6, adults over 21 won't violate state law if they possess up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use.

The specifics are thornier, as The Seattle Police Department's Jonah Spangenthal-Lee explains in "Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use In Seattle."

Spangenthal-Lee answers some practical questions such as "Dec. 6 seems like a really long ways away -- what happens if I get caught with marijuana before then?" (Answer: "Your case will be processed under current state law.")

Spangenthal-Lee also tackles some questions local government may have to ultimately address:

What happens if I get pulled over and I’m sober, but an officer or his K9 buddy smells the ounce of Super Skunk I've got in my trunk?

Under state law, officers have to develop probable cause to search a closed or locked container. Each case stands on its own, but the smell of pot alone will not be reason to search a vehicle. If officers have information that you’re trafficking, producing or delivering marijuana in violation of state law, they can get a warrant to search your vehicle.

SPD seized a bunch of my marijuana before I-502 passed. Can I have it back?
No.

Will police officers be able to smoke marijuana?
As of right now, no. This is still a very complicated issue.

Complicated, indeed.

Washington state residents will be allowed to possess one-ounce of pot or have 16 ounces of solid marijuana-infused product or 72 ounces of marijuana-infused liquid, according to the primer. The Washington State Liquor Control Board has until Dec. 1, 2013 to finalize its rules on the sale and distribution of marijuana.

Seattle Police Department spokesman Sgt. Sean Whitcomb said the guide's lighthearted tone was intentional.

"We deliberately designed (the guide) in a way that people would enjoy it," Whitcomb told NBC News.

Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com

Over in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado voters approved a similar marijuana measure. 

To be clear, the votes don't change how the United States federal government sees pot: Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance, which means the feds believe it has no medicinal value. (Heroin and methamphetamine are also Schedule I drugs; cocaine is Schedule II because of its limited medicinal value.)

This is why, Spangenthal-Lee writes, "You probably shouldn't bring pot with you to the federal courthouse (or any other federal property)."

The Seattle Police Department makes clear that while they can't control the feds, "SPD officers will follow state law, and will no longer make arrests for marijuana possession as defined under I-502."

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The manslaughter trial of a Washington state police officer whose off-duty handgun was used by his son to kill his daughter was declared a mistrial Tuesday, King5 News reported.

A Snohomish County, Wash. judge declared the mistrial, saying the jury had reached an impasse after deliberating for a day and a half.

The shooting took place in March, when Officer Derek Carlile, 31, was on his way to a wedding with his wife and four children. The family pulled over and the Carlile parents left their children in the van as they dropped into a friend’s store.

Within moments, the parents heard a shot. Their 3-year-old son had grabbed the .38-caliber revolver that was in a cupholder and used it to shoot his 7-year-old sister, Jenna Carlile. Jenna was transported to a hospital in Seattle, where she later died.

Related: Shot by sibling, police officer’s daughter dies

Carlile was subsequently charged with second-degree manslaughter, the Seattle Times reported.

Carlile’s attorney David Allen told King5 News that he had spoken with the jurors who were split – seven in favor of acquittal, four for conviction and one undecided.

But Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Lisa Paul told the Everett Herald that Carlile had made a series of bad decisions – ones no parent would find reasonable.

Allen said that Carlile had made a tragic mistake but not committed a crime, the Everett Herald reported.

Carlile, who works for the Marysville Police Department, has been on leave since the shooting occurred.

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Ted S. Warren / AP

Revelers display U.S. and gay pride flags as they celebrate early election returns favoring Washington state Referendum 74, which would legalize gay marriage.

SEATTLE -- The side opposed to same-sex marriage in Washington state has conceded that Referendum 74 will likely pass.

“While we are disappointed, we are not defeated,” said Joseph Backholm, chairman of Preserve Marriage Washington, in a statement. “We are fighting for a cause that is true, and beautiful, and right – the sacred institution of marriage. It’s a cause worth fighting for, and we will continue to educate citizens and policymakers on the timeless truth that real marriage is the union of one man and one woman.”

NBC has also projected the measure will pass, marking a victory for advocates of same-sex marriage, who also saw successes in Maine, Maryland and Minnesota. The Senate also ushered in its first openly-gay senator, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

In Washington state, approving Referendum 74 changes the legal definition of marriage as a “civil contract between two persons." Previously, the law stated that marriage was between “a male and a female.”  

Related: 1 for 31 no more: Gay rights movement ends dismal record

The referendum also specifies that religious institutions may not be sued for refusing to marry same-sex couples.

The margin was too thin to determine whether the referendum had passed on Tuesday night, largely because of Washington’s mail-in ballot system. Votes postmarked Tuesday, Election Day, didn’t arrive until Wednesday or Thursday.   

Tuesday’s returns indicated that the referendum would pass, however, which ignited Capitol Hill, Seattle’s traditionally gay neighborhood. There, several blocks were shut down, a DJ blasted music, and the smell of marijuana wafted through the air. (The state had also passed the legalization of marijuana.)

Zach Silk, campaign manager for Washington United for Marriage, responded to the concession in a statement:

“From the beginning, this campaign told the stories of loving couples and their families who simply want to get married. All of us, from our volunteers, to our staff to the nearly 20,000 donors who invested in the freedom to marry, are enormously grateful to the voters of Washington State. Yes, we made history, but more importantly, we helped protect and defend thousands of families across the state.”

Advocates of same-sex marriage raised $14 million – far more than their opponents, who raised $2.7 million. That was partly thanks to a $2.5 million donation from Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and his wife MacKenzie, and $600,000 from Bill and Melinda Gates. Both couples live in the Seattle area.

The opposition mounted a national campaign that was largely headed by the same team that passed Proposition 8 in 2008. More than $1 million of the campaign’s money came from the National Organization for Marriage, according to Washington state’s Public Disclosure Commission. The ads opposing same-sex marriage in Washington recycled footage that had been used in ads in Maine, Maryland and Minnesota.

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Brian Kersey / AP

Zac Vawter, of Washington state, will climb Chicago's Willis Tower, one of the world's tallest skyscrapers, using a bionic leg that is currently under development.

Zac Vawter considers himself a test pilot. After losing his right leg in a motorcycle accident, the 31-year-old software engineer signed up to become a research subject, helping to test a trailblazing prosthetic leg that's controlled by his thoughts.

He will put this groundbreaking bionic leg to the ultimate test Sunday when he attempts to climb 103 flights of stairs to the top of Chicago's Willis Tower, one of the world's tallest skyscrapers.

If all goes well, he'll make history with the bionic leg's public debut. His whirring, robotic leg will respond to electrical impulses from muscles in his hamstring. Vawter will think, "Climb stairs," and the motors, belts and chains in his leg will synchronize the movements of its ankle and knee. Vawter hopes to make it to the top in an hour, longer than it would've taken before his amputation, less time than it would take with his normal prosthetic leg — or, as he calls it, his "dumb" leg.

A team of researchers will be cheering him on and noting the smart leg's performance. When Vawter goes home to Yelm, Wash., where he lives with his wife and two children, the experimental leg will stay behind in Chicago. Researchers will continue to refine its steering. Taking it to the market is still years away.

"Somewhere down the road, it will benefit me and I hope it will benefit a lot of other people as well," Vawter said about the research at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Bionic — or thought-controlled — prosthetic arms have been available for a few years, thanks to pioneering work done at the Rehabilitation Institute. With leg amputees outnumbering people who've lost arms and hands, the Chicago researchers are focusing more on lower limbs. Safety is important. If a bionic hand fails, a person drops a glass of water. If a bionic leg fails, a person falls down stairs.

The Willis Tower climb will be the bionic leg's first test in the public eye, said lead researcher Levi Hargrove of the institute's Center for Bionic Medicine. The climb, called "SkyRise Chicago," is a fundraiser for the institute with about 2,700 people climbing. This is the first time the climb has played a role in the facility's research.

To prepare, Vawter and the scientists have spent hours adjusting the leg's movements. On one recent day, 11 electrodes placed on the skin of Vawter's thigh fed data to the bionic leg's microcomputer. The researchers turned over the "steering" to Vawter.

He kicked a soccer ball, walked around the room and climbed stairs. The researchers beamed.

Vawter likes the bionic leg. Compared to his regular prosthetic, it's more responsive and more fluid. As an engineer, he enjoys learning how the leg works.

It started with surgery in 2009. When Vawter's leg was amputated, a surgeon repositioned the residual spaghetti-like nerves that normally would carry signals to the lower leg and sewed them to new spots on his hamstring. That would allow Vawter one day to be able to use a bionic leg, even though the technology was years away.

The surgery is called "targeted muscle reinnervation" and it's like "rewiring the patient," Hargrove said. "And now when he just thinks about moving his ankle, his hamstring moves and we're able to tell the prosthesis how to move appropriately."

To one generation it sounds like "The Six Million Dollar Man," a 1970s TV show featuring a rebuilt hero. A younger generation may think of Luke Skywalker's bionic hand.

But Hargrove's inspiration came not from fiction, but from his fellow Canadian Terry Fox, who attempted a cross-country run on a regular artificial leg to raise money for cancer research in 1980.

"I've run marathons, and when you're in pain, you just think about Terry Fox who did it with a wooden leg and made it halfway across Canada before cancer returned," Hargrove said.

Experts not involved in the project say the Chicago research is on the leading edge. Most artificial legs are passive. "They're basically fancy wooden legs," said Daniel Ferris of the University of Michigan. Others have motorized or mechanical components but don't respond to the electrical impulses caused by thought.

"This is a step beyond the state of the art," Ferris said. "If they can achieve it, it's very noteworthy and suggests in the next 10 years or so there will be good commercial devices out there."

The $8 million project is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and involves Vanderbilt University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Rhode Island and the University of New Brunswick.

Vawter and the Chicago researchers recently took the elevator to the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower to see the view after an afternoon of work in the lab. Hargrove and Vawter bantered in the elevator in anticipation of Sunday's event.

Hargrove: "Am I allowed to trash talk you?"

"It's fine," Vawter shot back. "I'll just defer it all to the leg that you built."

At the top, Vawter stood on a glass balcony overlooking the city. The next time he heads to the top, he and the bionic leg will take the stairs.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Clallam County Sheriff's Office

Patrick Drum, 34, was sentenced to life without parole Tuesday for fatally shooting two convicted sex offenders in Washington state in early June.

A Washington state man convicted of fatally shooting two men “because they were sex offenders” was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without possibility of parole, KOMOnews.com reported.

On June 2, Patrick Boyd Drum fatally shot his new roommate, Gary Lee Blanton Jr., 28, at their home in Sequim, Wash. Then, around 9 p.m., Drum drove to the home of Jerry Wayne Ray, 55, also a convicted sex offender, and shot and killed him.

At 9:26 p.m., police received a cell phone call from man who said, “Help, 911, I’m being shot,” according to court records obtained by NBC News. Police were not able to trace the call.

At 6:30 a.m. the next morning, deputies responded to neighbors complaining about a suspicious man sitting on their porch. The man had identified himself as Patrick, told the neighbors they had nothing to worry about and then walked away.

Read the police report (.pdf)

Nearby, the deputies found an abandoned rental car issued to Drum, 34, with an empty box of 9mm bullets and a note apologizing for the disturbances, according to the court records.

About an hour later, at 7:40 a.m., Ray's father found him unresponsive at his home. 

As police investigated the crime scene, Blanton's wife called saying she hadn't heard from her husband but that she had received a text message from Drum saying the two were going camping. When police arrived at Blanton's home, they found both doors padlocked. Upon entry, they found Blanton dead. 

Related: Washington man accused of killing two sex offenders

At 2:30 p.m., after a three-hour manhunt, police found Drum, who told a detective that he shot Ray and Blanton several times “because they were sex offenders," according to the court documents. He told the detective that he had intended to drive to another county and kill a third sex offender, according to the records.

Drum, who pleaded guilty to the double murder, told Judge Ken Williams in July that he wanted to represent himself because “he stood up for a belief and the attorneys don’t have the same belief,” the Sequim Gazette reported.

In court Tuesday, chastised Drum’s supporters, KOMO reported. The wife of one of the two men killed said that people who consider Drum a hero have stalked her home, spat on her family and thrown things at her car.

Blanton, 28, was convicted in 2001 as a teenager of third-degree rape, according to the National Sex Offender Registry. Ray was convicted in 2002 of first-degree rape of a child.

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A Washington state man arrested for allegedly e-mailing death threats to President Barack Obama has been charged with threats against the president and assault of federal officer.

Anton Caluori, 31, appeared in federal court Wednesday. He was taken into custody at his apartment Tuesday by the U.S. Secret Service and Federal Way police.

The U.S. attorney's office reported Caluori threatened to kill President Obama in an email sent to a general purpose FBI address.

The Secret Service says Coluori wrote the following to the FBI on Tuesday: "I will kill the president. I don't give a f*** but you know that."

He also gave his address in the vulgar email, challenging them to "get here now."

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The message was intercepted and police tracked his location to make an arrest.

Documents say that when Caluori opened the door of the apartment in Federal Way, Wash., he shares with his mother, he was wearing a bandoleer filled with 12-gauge shotgun shells around his torso; attached to the bandoleer was a large knife. He was wearing a revolver in an ankle holster.

Read the original King 5 News story

His right hand was out of view, and when the Secret Service agent and Federal Way police officer repeatedly told Caluori to show them his hands, he moved his right hand from behind his back, revealing a "stockless, pump-action shotgun with pistol grip."

Caluori raised the shotgun, pointing it at the agent and officer, who were able to wrestle him to the ground.

When he was asked if there was anything in the house that would hurt officers, Caluori replied, “There are things inside that go boom.”

The apartment complex was swept by the bomb squad, but nothing was found.

Documents say inside the apartment police found a laptop computer that was powered on and displaying the e-mail address the threatening e-mail came from.

Documents say also found in the home:

• Draco stockless AK-47-type rifle and eight 40-round magazines loaded with ammunition
• Loaded Desert Eagle .45 caliber pistol with two loaded magazines.
• Bushmaster AR-15-type rifle with Burris scope, with what appeared to be a loaded 100-round drum magazine and 14 30-round magazines, eight of which were loaded with ammunition
• Bucket containing about 50 additional 12-gauge shotgun shells
• Box of 200 rounds of ammunition for the AR-15 rifle
• Five boxes of ammunition for the AK-47

"The Department of Justice takes all threats against the president seriously, especially in this case, with an individual who had the ammunition to act on those threats," Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Masada said.

Caluori's defense attorney has requested a mental evaluation for her client, who could face up to five years for the threat to the president and 20 years in prison for raising his weapon on the two officers.

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