Pubdate: Thu, 07 May 2015
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2015 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

MEDICINAL MONOPOLY

Hey, what the hell is going on with the medical cannabis industry in 
Oregon and Washington?

- -Wes Coast

Business and politics. The Washington State Legislature recently 
passed Senate Bill 5052, which will force all of the medical cannabis 
clubs in Washington to close so that the recreational clubs can take 
control of the market. The law also decreases the amount of cannabis 
a medical patient can possess, and the amount of cannabis that they 
can grow. This law is dumb and it is an insult to all of the medical 
patients that supported recreational legalization in Washington 
because they were told that I-502 (the initiative to legalize 
cannabis in Washington) would not affect medical cannabis users.

Down in Oregon, the cannabis patients are in a pitched battle with a 
legislature which is trying to do the same thing as Washington's. A 
concerted and effective effort has succeeded in getting some of the 
most egregious rules changed, but they have a long way to go.

This is one of the things I dislike about unbridled capitalism. The 
people in charge of regulating the new recreational cannabis market 
want to make sure they maximize their profits, because duh. In 
Washington, a gram of recreational weed will run you about 20 bucks, 
while a gram of medicinal cannabis is about 10 dollars, even if it's 
the same strain grown by the same people. Of course, the people who 
only see money want to make sure that everyone pays the highest price 
possible. But why mess with people who really need cannabis for their 
health? We need to make sure that any new California recreational 
marijuana law recognizes and supports sick people's rights to access 
safe, affordable cannabis. Remember that this whole push toward 
recreational cannabis legalization was started by allowing safe 
access to medical cannabis for qualified patients. We must continue 
to show compassion and put patients first.

I am headed to Vegas in a few days. Is it true that my California 
letter of cannabis recommendation is good in Nevada?

- -Jack Pot

Yes and no. While the new law allows California cannabis patients to 
possess and purchase medical marijuana from Nevada dispensaries, 
there are some hoops to jump through. And if my recent encounter with 
the police department in Carlin, Nev., is any indicator, Nevada has a 
long way to go. The cop pulled me over for having expired tags on my 
rental car. (I am currently discussing this issue with the rental car 
company, but if I am unsatisfied with their response, I will name and 
shame them.) I got a ticket for $740 (possession of less than an 
ounce) and they sent me on my way. Ten years ago, I would still be in 
custody and looking at serious jail time. I will leave you with what 
one of the cops said to me as I was standing there in handcuffs while 
they searched my car: "Next year, all this stuff will be legal 
anyway." I really hope he's right.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom