Pubdate: Mon, 19 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

MEDICAL-MARIJUANA PATIENTS DESERVE A REGULATED SYSTEM THAT IS SAFE AND 
AFFORDABLE

It's time for the Legislature to fold the largely unregulated
medical-marijuana community into Washington's existing marketplace for
growing and selling legal marijuana, writes guest columnist Chris Marr.

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 in-state 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 health-care 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.

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.
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MAP posted-by: Matt