Looks like WA. is about to lose their right to grow their own medicine!
Washington State - Rivers Seeks Tighter Controls On Medical Marijuana Industry
The language of Rivers' proposed legislation has yet to be finalized, but the key components would charge the Department of Health with overseeing and creating standards deeming whether a type of cannabis could be considered medical grade. The state's liquor control board would be charged with licensing and enforcement. A portion of the revenue from sales would go to local cities and counties for law enforcement and public safety, and no excise tax would be added. Convicted felons would not be able to operate or benefit from dispensaries. And perhaps, most controversially, there would be a registry of medical marijuana patients.
Previously, advocates decried a registry, worrying it could hurt patients and make them possible targets of the federal government. Tom Lauerman, a local licensed medical and recreational marijuana grower, said "it's totally an invasion of privacy." He said he doesn't see the need for a registry, particularly because the product is now legal. "It should be a private thing," Lauerman said. Tracking use would ultimately drive up costs for the many low-income patients who depend on the product, he said.
Rivers said a registry would be crucial to regulate the system, which right now operates in a legal gray zone. Medical marijuana was approved in 1998, and qualified patients are allowed under state law to grow medical marijuana or designate someone to grow on their behalf. But no state agency oversees the program, and it's completely unregulated.
Hmm.
Washington State - Rivers Seeks Tighter Controls On Medical Marijuana Industry
The language of Rivers' proposed legislation has yet to be finalized, but the key components would charge the Department of Health with overseeing and creating standards deeming whether a type of cannabis could be considered medical grade. The state's liquor control board would be charged with licensing and enforcement. A portion of the revenue from sales would go to local cities and counties for law enforcement and public safety, and no excise tax would be added. Convicted felons would not be able to operate or benefit from dispensaries. And perhaps, most controversially, there would be a registry of medical marijuana patients.
Previously, advocates decried a registry, worrying it could hurt patients and make them possible targets of the federal government. Tom Lauerman, a local licensed medical and recreational marijuana grower, said "it's totally an invasion of privacy." He said he doesn't see the need for a registry, particularly because the product is now legal. "It should be a private thing," Lauerman said. Tracking use would ultimately drive up costs for the many low-income patients who depend on the product, he said.
Rivers said a registry would be crucial to regulate the system, which right now operates in a legal gray zone. Medical marijuana was approved in 1998, and qualified patients are allowed under state law to grow medical marijuana or designate someone to grow on their behalf. But no state agency oversees the program, and it's completely unregulated.
Hmm.
