Washington

News

"Liquidation sale," it said. Attached was a spreadsheet of items up for grabs: LED grow lights for $500 apiece. Rotary evaporators for hash oil, $10,000.

In 2013, Joy Hollingsworth moved with her family from Seattle out to the country with a plan to build a cannabis business.

SEATTLE -- Five years after Washington launched its pioneering legal marijuana market, officials are proposing an overhaul of the state's industry rules, with plans for boosting minority ownership of pot businesses, paving the way for home deliveries of medical cannabis and letting the smallest growers increase the size of their operations to become more competitive.

Opioid overdoses are killing two people in Washington each day, and Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Tuesday urged legislation that will limit new legal opioid prescriptions and monitor those receiving the drug.

Letters

Regarding the guest commentary, "Treatment, not punishment, will limit opioid problems": States that end cannabis (marijuana) prohibition are in a better position to help lower opioid addiction and death rates compared to states that perpetuate cannabis prohibition. Citizens may use opiates for chronic pain, which may lead to various addiction scenarios. Cannabis has shown to treat chronic pain, and in states where cannabis has been completely re-legalized, citizens may purchase the plant over the counter without a doctor's permission slip. It's a potential win-win situation that should be promoted.

My brother, Michael, suffered a lot of pain from a back injury related to a car accident in his 30s. His was prescribed opioids, which quickly became an addiction that ruled his adult life. He was in denial and refused help. He never had a problem finding drugs, and I don't mean illegally.

The Jan. 22 letter, "Bill creates new pot black market," takes issue with Senate bill 6207, which exempts from public disclosure some information contained within marijuana licensing records. As chief of enforcement for the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, I would like to clarify that the intent of the legislation would protect only a small amount of information from being released publicly.

Medical marijuana patients were generally ignored when the Cannabis Patient Protection Act was up for debate this year. Instead legislators pushing this bill were more concerned with those who would benefit from restrictions on cannabis such as the pharmaceutical industry. The shortsightedness shown by those pushing this legislation may end up costing patients and others, including the state, in the long run.

Regarding the letter, "Keep pot shops away from churches," where author invites his readers, "what say you." Well, here's what I say: I don't have a problem with the city of Everett Planning Commission allowing legal "pot shops" next to churches. Also, believe me, I-502 is not flawed. It has been scrutinized by lawyers inside and out. What is now the legal standard is what the voters voted in favor of.

Unfortunately, I believe that Washington government has equated the "gangland attitude" of profiteering shown by so many so-called medical cannabis "stores" with all of us, i.e., legitimate medical patients and activists.

In November 2012, Washington state voters approved Initiative 502 legalizing recreational marijuana. Part of the appeal of legalization was the potential of a new revenue source for cities.

According to headlines, Washington lawmakers are trying to divert marijuana tax revenues to fund general education instead of prevention and treatment services (SB 6062).

Opinions

US: Connelly: Lawsuit seeks to block King County vote on safe injection sites - seattlepi.com Found: Tue Aug 22 14:21:02 2017 PDT Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) Copyright: 2017 Seattle Post-Intelligencer Website: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/408 Author: Joel Connelly

MARIJUANA legalization in Washington state has, by some measures, been an immediate success. Criminal charges for marijuana possession have all but vanished. The once-thriving black market is being daylighted. And recreational users' wink-and-a-nod exploitation of the medical-marijuana system is gone.

TREATMENT, NOT PUNISHMENT, WILL LIMIT OPIOID PROBLEMS President Obama did something remarkable this week. For the first time, a president talked about drug addiction in America without talking about prosecution, mandatory minimums or a war on drugs.

The news seemed almost anachronistic in this era of relaxed ordinances and attitudes about marijuana. Last week, law enforcement officials announced that illegal marijuana production in Washington state has plummeted - even though large numbers of plants still flourish on the state's public lands.

Links

The Lifevine Foundation is a non-profit public education and legal assistance provider for medical marijuana patients in Washington State

Douglas Hiatt has spent the majority of his career serving as a public defender. Most recently with Northwest Defender Association in Seattle, and with the Skagit County Public Defender’s Office; developing an acute appreciation for the injustices of our legal system. Hiatt’s concern for downtrodden victims of drug war aggression compelled him to enjoin private practice with deepening resolve.

Hemp-friendly ISP

Marijuana Fact or Fiction works very hard to get out the facts and teach about the Medical use of Marijuana. We go to Hemp events and speak on stage and now I even work two hours a week for free at a Radio Station in Idaho teaching about the Medical use of Marijuana.

The mission of the Northwest HIDTA is to measurably reduce large scale importation and local drug trafficking by intercepting shipments, disrupting local manufacturing and trafficking operations and to reduce demand by supporting treatment and effective demand reduction programs.

Dedicated to the creation, expansion and continued existence of syringe exchange programs as a proven method of stopping the transmission of blood borne pathogens in the injecting drug using community.

Hempfest is a 2 day ralley to draw attention to the absurd cannabis laws in the United States. We are the largest such ralley in the world, annually drawing over 150,000 people. We feature 5 stages, 70+ speakers and 70+ bands, and are free to the public

Papers