Washington Medical Marijuana Law Causing Confusion

A decade after voters in Washington state passed a medical-marijuana law, there is still confusion over how much marijuana patients can possess and how strictly to enforce the law, the Associated Press reported Sept. 20.

In Washington, the law requires that patients grow their own marijuana or find a caregiver who will grow it for them. The caregiver can only supply one patient with marijuana at a time.

Last year, the state issued guidelines that said patients could have up to 15 marijuana plants and 24 ounces of dried marijuana. 

However, some patients have created closed membership groups where patients pay dues or contribute to a portion of the cost of producing marijuana, while others have opted for storefront operations that dispense the drug.

In September a for-profit medical marijuana dispensary called Change that was located in Spokane was shut down by police and the two owners were arrested for violating the state’s “one patient, one caregiver” law.

Frank Cikutovich, Change’s lawyer, said the store met the legal requirements. One patient would go in, designate Change as a caregiver by signing a document, and purchase marijuana. The agreement would then expire as soon as the person left the store and another customer would enter.

In the Seattle area, prosecutors are still deciding whether to charge a medical-marijuana patient who was caught with 200 marijuana plants, which he said went to supply more than 100 patients.