Pubdate: Tue, 20 Jan 2015
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2015 The Seattle Times Company
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Author: Chris Marr
Note: Chris Marr is a former state senator from Spokane, and was 
appointed to the Washington State Liquor Control Board in 2011. He 
leaves the board on Jan. 31 for the private sector.

REGULATING MEDICAL MARIJUANA

AS the Legislature moves this session to address the unregulated 
medical-marijuana market, all parties must agree on a common 
objective: safe, affordable patient access. While stakeholder 
concerns should be considered, they must be scrutinized and remain 
secondary to patient interests.

As a Washington State Liquor Control Board member, I have a bias: I 
believe we have established a tightly regulated system that can 
provide high-quality, safe medical cannabis for patients, with little 
risk of youth access or federal intervention. While many in the 
medical-marijuana industry argue that a separate system could be 
established to do the same, the need for costly duplication must be 
proven. An evaluation would be hard-pressed to show that existing 
licensees, who have invested in good faith in our system, cannot meet 
the needs of medical cannabis patients.

As part of Initiative 502's implementation, the Liquor Control Board 
opened up a new recreational marketplace to many who operated in the 
gray area of medical marijuana. Given the threat of federal action, 
as well as the acknowledgment that lack of regulation did not serve 
the interests of patients, many of these growers and retailers opted 
into the state's regulated system.

These new licensees confirm that the existing medical-marijuana 
system inappropriately serves many recreational users. Testing, 
labeling and quality standards are lax and unverified. The training 
of dispensary employees is often poor and lacks the scientific 
validity we expect of health-care professionals. There are 
responsible operators who abide by what they feel to be the highest 
of standards. However, many of them acknowledge the need for the 
Legislature to act quickly to regulate the industry.

This brings me back to our original premise: Any new system of 
medical marijuana needs to be focused on safe, affordable patient 
access. What does this look like?

Safe means protecting patients with stringent testing, labeling and 
quality control regulations. It also assumes that outlets authorized 
to sell medical cannabis will be staffed by highly trained 
individuals who are knowledgeable about existing research. Developing 
these protocols would require the assistance of an objective third 
party, preferably a respected instate institution with health science 
and research experience - the University of Washington comes to mind.

Safe also means zero tolerance for youth access. This requires 
replicating the retailer education, regulatory and enforcement 
resources of the Liquor Control Board, as well as creating strong 
relationships with the prevention and law-enforcement community. 
Safety applies to our community as well. This assumes a system that 
can block entry to criminal gangs and drug cartels - elements the 
feds have assured us will invite their intervention.

A regulated medical-marijuana system should also avoid the fire and 
explosion hazards that come with large home grows located in 
residential neighborhoods. And it should be stated here that any 
workable system assumes that local governments would receive the 
necessary funding to be reliable partners in enforcing these new laws.

A thoughtful evaluation of tax rates applied to medical marijuana is 
also in order. Any system that puts safer drugs beyond the financial 
reach of patients is poor healthcare policy. If we are committed to 
an objective evaluation of legitimate medical use, that should not be 
a problem. In truth, if we were to move all recreational users out of 
the medical-marijuana marketplace, marijuana could be provided to 
qualified patients at little or no cost. That would require a patient 
registry, clearer definitions of qualifying conditions (especially 
chronic pain), and better training and oversight of authorizations by 
medical providers.

The debate over the future of medical marijuana in Washington is sure 
to reach a fevered pitch this session. Whatever decision the 
Legislature makes, let us hope it's based on the best interests of 
patients and the communities in which they live. One thing is for 
certain: The unregulated system that currently exists serves neither.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom