Beginning Sunday, there will be new limits on the amounts of medical marijuana users can have at any one time - and not everyone is happy about it.
Ten years ago Washington state voters approved an initiative legalizing the use of medical marijuana for patients with a doctor's authorization. But users, doctors and police have been in a legal quandary because the initiative never set a limit as to how much is too much.
Beginning Nov. 2, authorized patients can have a 60-day supply on hand at any one time. Those limits are defined as 24 ounces of usable marijuana plus 15 plants.
It's a modification of the limits the state of Oregon has been working with for years. In Oregon, users are allowed 24 ounces and six mature plants and 18 immature plants.
The Washington State Department of Health set the new rules following public hearings and meetings with medical marijuana advocates and law enforcement.
"Our goal in the rule making was to have a final rule that provided clarity for law enforcement, for patients and physicians and meets the needs that what we believe will be the majority of medical marijuana patients in Washington," says Karen Ann Jensen, assistant secretary for health systems and quality assurance.
It was Jensen's job to oversee the rule change and make the recommendation.
But some users are upset that the clarification is still vague.
"That's a totally ridiculous way to come up with a 60-day supply," says one Seattle user who has 37 plants growing in his basement.
He fears there may soon be a crackdown on grow operations like his because the rule does not allow for co-op growing where multiple users and growing plants on one user's property.
The grower did not want his identity to be known but allowed KOMO News access to his basement pot farm. He told KOMO News that his operation could be considered illegal under the new rules if he's not allowed to prove other users are growing plants in his basement.
The new rules do allow users to possession of more than the legal limit, but there are new rules to prove the higher limits are necessary.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: KOMO News
Author: Matt Markovich
Contact: KOMO News
Copyright: 2008 Fisher Communications, Inc.
Website: New Medical Marijuana Limits Debut Sunday
Ten years ago Washington state voters approved an initiative legalizing the use of medical marijuana for patients with a doctor's authorization. But users, doctors and police have been in a legal quandary because the initiative never set a limit as to how much is too much.
Beginning Nov. 2, authorized patients can have a 60-day supply on hand at any one time. Those limits are defined as 24 ounces of usable marijuana plus 15 plants.
It's a modification of the limits the state of Oregon has been working with for years. In Oregon, users are allowed 24 ounces and six mature plants and 18 immature plants.
The Washington State Department of Health set the new rules following public hearings and meetings with medical marijuana advocates and law enforcement.
"Our goal in the rule making was to have a final rule that provided clarity for law enforcement, for patients and physicians and meets the needs that what we believe will be the majority of medical marijuana patients in Washington," says Karen Ann Jensen, assistant secretary for health systems and quality assurance.
It was Jensen's job to oversee the rule change and make the recommendation.
But some users are upset that the clarification is still vague.
"That's a totally ridiculous way to come up with a 60-day supply," says one Seattle user who has 37 plants growing in his basement.
He fears there may soon be a crackdown on grow operations like his because the rule does not allow for co-op growing where multiple users and growing plants on one user's property.
The grower did not want his identity to be known but allowed KOMO News access to his basement pot farm. He told KOMO News that his operation could be considered illegal under the new rules if he's not allowed to prove other users are growing plants in his basement.
The new rules do allow users to possession of more than the legal limit, but there are new rules to prove the higher limits are necessary.
News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: KOMO News
Author: Matt Markovich
Contact: KOMO News
Copyright: 2008 Fisher Communications, Inc.
Website: New Medical Marijuana Limits Debut Sunday
