Pubdate: Wed, 11 May 2011 Source: Herald, The (Everett, WA) Copyright: 2011 The Daily Herald Co. Contact: http://www.heraldnet.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/190 Author: Jerry Cornfield, Herald Writer BIPARTISAN GROUP INTRODUCES NEW BILL ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA OLYMPIA -- Eight Democratic and Republican senators Tuesday introduced a revamped medical marijuana law. Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5955. The bill would create a statewide registry of qualified patients, which would be available to law enforcement during criminal investigations. The bill also would allow pot to be grown in collectively run gardens. And it would let cities and counties decide whether to issue permits to dispensaries, which are referred to as nonprofit patient cooperatives in the bill. Ezra Eickmeyer of the Washington Cannabis Association said the group is likely to oppose the bill because of a number of concerns, including ones related to the registry and the allowing of cities and counties to decide the fate of the cooperatives. A public hearing on the bill is planned today in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. It's unclear how cities and counties will respond to this bill. Many want the state to decide if dispensaries are going to be legal and, if so, how they will be regulated. They also want the state to set uniform rules for where dispensaries can be located. The cities of Edmonds, Granite Falls and Mountlake Terrace have adopted moratoriums on the opening of any medical cannabis growing and distribution operation. They and the councils in other cities as well as the Snohomish County Council would gain authority to allow or disallow nonprofit patient cooperatives under the proposed legislation. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Attorney General Rob McKenna replied to a letter from Democratic lawmakers on whether he thought federal authorities' threat to arrest state workers for carrying out the medical marijuana law should be taken seriously. McKenna's nine-page response basically said one can't predict what federal authorities will do. Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, wrote the letter signed by 14 other lawmakers including Reps. Mary Helen Roberts, D-Lynnwood, and Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish. "I am disappointed by Attorney General Rob McKenna's nonresponse to the questions that I and other lawmakers posed," Goodman said in a statement. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.