MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH
THE WASHINGTON STATE MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW
Many people on both sides of the issue take advantage of what is in the law ,and what is not in the law. Patients can take advantage of the lack of clear definition in the 60 day supply part of the law by growing excess marijuana for selling to other medical marijuana patients or recreational users.
Gray Marketeers take advantage of the law by growing wholesale and selling retail ,or buying wholesale and selling retail. Innocent patients are being misled and entrapped into thinking they can grow any amount then are being arrested for growing too much ,and assumed by Law Enforcement to be selling their medicine based on a number of plants ,and charged without being caught selling their medicine. The 60 day supply issue needs to be clarified so that Gray Marketeers can not become wholesale retail operations. The problem with arresting patients based on plant numbers is that until the marijuana has finished budding and has not contracted a disease ,and is cured properly ,it is not medicine. Law enforcement needs to catch patients selling their medicine ,and charge them under the Washington State controlled substance act and not assuming they are selling based on a plant number.
Law Enforcement takes advantage of the lack of punishment for violating 69.51A.040,and 69.51A.050 because those laws come with no punishment. Those laws are the backbone of the Medical Marijuana initiative and need to come with punishment for being violated or Law Enforcement will continue to violate those laws. Rogue County secessionist routinely violates the Washington State medical marijuana initiative. The sick, old ,poor and less knowledgeable patients have to go to the Gray market or the Black Market to get their medicine. The State needs to provide the service so the gray and black markets do not have to. Medical marijuana patients need to be able to legally get cuttings and seeds for medical marijuana to become self sufficient. Patients should not have to go to Canada, or Amsterdam to get their seeds, and to the Black market for cuttings. Gray Marketeers can not be relied upon to distribute plant cuttings. This legislative session these problems with the Washington State medical marijuana law need to be addressed.