Law & Politics

Washington Lawmakers Face Medical and Recreational Cannabis Conundrum, Source: http://blogs.columbian.com/cannabis-chronicles/wp-content/uploads/sites/69/2014/06/IMG_4974-1024x768.jpgThe Washington State Legislature recently began its new session and there are a lot of cannabis-related bills crossing their desks.

The main issue is how to reconcile the medical community with the recreational community. Medical cannabis has been legal in Washington for nearly 20 years, recreational pot has been legal since the passage of I-502 in 2012.

Back in 2012, it was clearly conveyed to voters that 502 would be completely separate from the medical marijuana community. That is to say, the new law would not affect the current system of medical marijuana dispensation. The initiative passed with overwhelming support.

Then things got a little shady. Soon after passage of 502, state law makers began grumbling about the lack of money they would be getting from the medical cannabis industry. Yes, they wrapped all their complaints in disguises of tax systems, cannabis testing, and child safety. But it all boiled down to them getting pissed that they couldn’t be the only dealer in town.

Fast forward to today, and we have a growing battlefront. Medical users want their collectives left alone and their prices to stay affordable. After all, many MMJ users are on disability. The 502 pot businesses want to be able to make more money than they currently are. As it turns out, 502 businesses are failing. They sell low quality, untested cannabis for insane prices just to meet their bottom lines. In fact, there are stories popping up that say some 502 business owners are approaching dispensaries, trying to sell them their unsold weed at a low price.

This has created a sort of impasse between the medical and recreational users, with both sides blaming the other for their problems. However, this is not a problem between users/voters. This is entirely the making of the legislators. They are the ones writing the laws and trying to get their hands on all the cannabis money, not the voters and users.

I am a medical user and I openly voted for 502. But I did so under the belief (like we were promised) that the medical industry would not be dramatically affected.

Tom Lauerman, a long time medical cannabis grower and someone who regularly visits the state capital to push for the lawmakers to back off on MMJ, recently attended the American for Safe Access Patients Lobby Day at the capital. Lauerman said that he felt positive about the event. In prior years, the legislators were disinterested and obstinate, while the patients who showed up were disorganized and scattered.

This year, he said he noticed a much more cohesive voice coming from the patients and he commented, “fortunately, we also noticed what seems to be more of a genuine interest and compassion with this group of legislators as compared to previous years. They do seem eager to pass some sort of defining legislation, so let’s hope they make room in the bill for the small Mom and Pop farmers and processors as has been promised…There are a lot of bills floating around Capitol Hill these days concerning anything and everything cannabis. The session has just started and we have a couple of months to nail down a bill that is “Win/Win” for ALL the constituents involved in Cannabis. We can only Hope!”

Stay tuned for updates, but I’m certainly hoping for a resolution that satisfies all parties.