Pubdate: Sun, 21 Sep 2014
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2014 The Seattle Times Company
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Page: A14

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS FOR MARIJUANA REFORM?

THE recreational marijuana market authorized by voters in 2012 is 
heavily taxed to fund prevention efforts, and is strictly regulated 
to ensure quality and security. Yet, the state Legislature has failed 
to rein in the larger, completely unregulated and mostly untaxed 
marijuana industry that serves medical patients. Seattle currently 
has just one recreational store, but dozens of medical dispensaries. 
These two markets should be merged. Lawmakers must ensure 
legitimately suffering patients get a break from the steep so-called 
sin taxes of the recreational market, and should continue to allow 
home grows for them. Ensuring that patients are legitimate also 
requires a much tighter rein on medical professionals who glibly hand 
out "green card" medical-marijuana authorizations to otherwise 
healthy young men.

The recreational market needs tweaking too - to entice more cities 
and counties to open their borders to state-licensed marijuana 
stores. Without broader access, black-market marijuana sales, which 
voters directly targeted in passing Initiative 502, would continue to flourish.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom