A Washington man is fuming after he was kicked off and banned from riding his town’s transit service for six months because of his smell.
The issue was not his body odor, but the overwhelming smell of marijuana.
Matthew Little is even banned from standing at bus stops.
According to Kitsap Transit, passengers can be banned for reeking of cat urine, human feces and bad body odor, among other bad smells.
They are warned at least three times.
So far this year, Little is the only passenger to be banned because of hygiene for marijuana.
Little isn't shy about his affinity for marijuana.
"(I’m) never ashamed of any of it," he said, showing off artwork, books and a vest adorned with marijuana leaves.
Little is a well-known medical marijuana activist and user.
“Too bad you don't have smell-a-vision,” he said, opening a jar containing marijuana.
It's that very aroma that's causing a stink for Kitsap Transit.
“From time to time, I smell like I just smoked some marijuana probably because I just did," he said.
Kitsap Transit accused Little of emitting an odor on buses that “unreasonably disturbs others,” and banned Little for six months.
"Out of the blue, I'm kicked off your buses for six months? How do I get to my doctor's?” he asked.
Transit officials said that after at least four documented complaints, they banned Little for “carrying the odor of marijuana on the bus, clothes, on his person,” according to a notice of exclusion sent to Little.
Transit officials said the smell was so bad, “the driver began to choke and had to cover her nose.”
We requested surveillance video, but transit officials said their older buses, including that one, are not yet equipped with cameras.
Transit officials refused repeated requests for an on-camera interview, including with the bus driver, and sent statements saying in part, that
Little “chose to ignore repeated warnings that violating our rules of conduct would result in his exclusion.”
Transit officials then sent KIRO 7 a copy of Little's second notice of exclusion for verbally abusing a bus driver this month.
Little claims that he never cursed at the driver.
Transit officials said he’s been temporarily banned before for breaking code of conduct rules.
Asked what he thinks he smells like during an interview with KIRO 7 News, Little replied: “Ganga or Karl Lagerfeld."
KIRO 7 read through Kitsap Transit's 2013 code of conduct.
There is no mention of marijuana or its smell, even though medical and recreational marijuana is legal.
"I think it needs to be revisited," said Little.
A Kitsap Transit’s spokesman said he’s not aware of any plan to revise the code of conduct.
Kitsap Transit officials said they are “not singling out marijuana odor, but when it makes customers or drivers physically ill, it's not acceptable.”
Little is appealing the ban.
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