Changes to Medical laws are coming for Washington and Colorado
- seniorsmmjnetwork
- Feb 7, 2015
- 3 min read
What to do with the Medical Marijuana dispensaries in Washington State? Ever since the legalization of recreational Pot and State licensed stores, Medicinal dispensaries have been worried. They should be.
Established and beneficial dispensaries are sitting in a legal grey area. Technically not legal, nor are they illegal. Only patients with a Washington State Medical Authorization card (obtained from a Doctor) can purchase MMJ in their stores. Many cater to Seniors who are looking for certain Medical Marijuana strains for common ailments.
Medical dispensaries have built their businesses on knowledge and experience by working with hundreds of patients. While they do bring in large amounts of profit like the recreational stores do, the focus of the Medicinal dispensaries (in most cases) is the quality of medicine provided. That doesn't mean simply having "good buds", it includes having the ability and the desire to talk with customers to find a strain that potentially can ease the specific ailment.
Not all Medical dispensaries are created equal, due in part to a lack of regulation. As part of our mission at Seniors MMJ Network, we visit local dispensaries and apply our knowledge and experience to grade them on a variety of factors. While many are reputable and informative, there are indeed a number of dispensaries that are a disservice to us all.
Washington State says that something needs to be done, the best approach however is up for debate.
Seniors MMJ Network is in favor of regulations for Medical Marijuana dispensaries, similar to the established guidelines for recreational stores. Having uniform guidelines increases the safety and overall experience of users, whether it is for medicinal or recreational purposes.
Currently the rumored plan is to close MMJ dispensaries all together. Tacoma has put forth an effort to close the MMJ locations within it's city (http://goo.gl/Mvbffm)
It's hard to ignore the fact that Medical dispensaries are not held to the same tax liability (equaling lower consumer prices) and testing / quality standards as the recently opened recreational stores. This is putting a dent in the State tax revenue and some see money as the motivation for this recent move. MMJ dispensaries have been in operation and permitted by local cities for over five years in Washington.
There have been many developments over the last few weeks. The first piece we want to share is a guest article in the Seattle Times by Alison Holcomb. The topic was, what to do with the legal differences between I-502 and the Medical Marijuana laws. It provides good background for why we are asking this question now. Please, give it a read and educate yourself!
Alison Holcomb recently transitioned from Drug Policy Director with the ACLU of Washington to Director of the national ACLU's Campaign to End Mass Incarceration.
The second piece, which was published after the above article, is the Senate Bill Report SB5052 from Olympia, Washington. Here you can find the legal text for recommended changes to the Washington State Medical Marijuana laws. Although Seniors MMJ Network supports regulation and testing, we can not support a bill that reduces current Medical patients supply and plants allowed by over half.
Excerpt: Medical Use of Marijuana. In 1998 voters approved Initiative 692 which permitted the use of marijuana for medical purposes by qualifying patients. The Legislature subsequently amended the chapter on medical use of marijuana in 2007, 2010, and 2011, changing who may authorize the medical use of marijuana, the definition of terminal or debilitating medical condition, what constitutes a 60-day supply of medical marijuana, and authorized qualifying patients and designated providers to participate in collective gardens.
In order to qualify for the use of medical marijuana, patients must have a terminal or debilitating medical condition such as cancer, the human immunodeficiency virus, multiple sclerosis, intractable pain, glaucoma, Crohn’s disease, hepatitis C, nausea or seizure diseases, a disease approved by the Medical Quality Assurance Commission, and the diagnosis of this condition must be made by a health care professional.
Full text - http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2015-16/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/Senate/5052%20SBA%20WM%2015.pdf
The final story in relations to this topic, is the current situation in Colorado. The Senate there recently scrapped a plan that would make changes to the existing Medical Marijuana legislation. This puts the current laws in Limbo, as they are set to expire at the end of the year. MMJ activists are up in arms about the potential changes. Going forward, Colorado intends to debate every aspect of the Bill from Scratch.
Will this even out the market and provide a safer product or will it be a step backwards for MMJ patients?
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