http://www.drugnews.org/ Media Awareness Project Drug News en-us Sun, 10 May 2026 11:08:03 -0700 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 16:10:02 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Modperl editor@mapinc.org (MAP Editor) webmaster@mapinc.org (MAP Webmaster) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v20/n000/a026.html New York Times, 29 Nov 2020 - In 2013, Joy Hollingsworth moved with her family from Seattle out to the country with a plan to build a cannabis business. Washington State had recently legalized recreational marijuana, and Barack Obama had just been re-elected. For Ms. Hollingsworth, a former basketball player, and her brother, Raft Hollingsworth III, a former University of Washington student who had been growing medical marijuana, it seemed like as good a time as any to buy a farm and turn a profit. Sun, 29 Nov 2020 08:00:00 GMT http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v20/n000/a026.html http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n681/a08.html New York Times, 25 Nov 2016 - TUMWATER, Wash. - Behind the covered windows of a nondescript two-story building near the Olympia Regional Airport, hundreds of marijuana plants were flowering recently in the purple haze of 40 LED lights. It was part of a high-stakes experiment in energy conservation - an undertaking subsidized by the local electric company. With cannabis cultivation poised to become a big business in some parts of the country, power companies and government officials hope it will grow into a green industry. Fri, 25 Nov 2016 08:00:00 GMT http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n681/a08.html http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n490/a02.html The Stranger, 20 Jul 2016 - Last week, I wrote about how the new medical marijuana system created under the Cannabis Patient Protection Act (SB 5052) shut out many of Washington State's medical marijuana dispensaries. The law required that dispensaries obtain a recreational license to continue operation, but a loophole in the application process created a black market for dispensary employee pay stubs, allowing new actors to game the system. I also mentioned that the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) blindsided applicants by announcing a cap of 222 new licenses late in the application process. What I didn't have space to mention was that the cap itself was based on data that even the state contractor that compiled it admits was shaky. Given that the medical marijuana market was, by Washington cannabis data scientist Jim MacRae's estimate, at one point supporting at least 800 dispensaries, and that SB 5052 mandated that the state issue enough new licenses "in order to accommodate the medical needs of qualified patients and designated providers," how did the WSLCB decide on issuing only 222 new licenses? Wed, 20 Jul 2016 07:00:00 GMT http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n490/a02.html http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n472/a08.html The Stranger, 13 Jul 2016 - A Loophole in the Recreational License Application Process Created a Black Market for Dispensary Employee Pay Stubs and Left Longtime Dispensary Operators in the Dust A loophole allowed applicants with no background in medical marijuana to be treated as if they were law-abiding, taxpaying veterans of the industry. Wed, 13 Jul 2016 07:00:00 GMT http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n472/a08.html http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n455/a08.html Seattle Weekly, 06 Jul 2016 - Little Drama, Lots of Doubts as Washington's Medical Marijuana Industry Goes Dark It's not yet clear how many patients will switch to licensed stores, versus going underground. Today is the first day on which authorities have vowed to crack down on medical marijuana dispensaries which lack government-issued cannabis licenses. Our cover story this week unpacks the history of that vow. By all appearances, the day has come and gone without any major drama. Wed, 06 Jul 2016 07:00:00 GMT http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n455/a08.html http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n455/a09.html The Stranger, 06 Jul 2016 - On July 1, Washington State's medical marijuana market disappeared. Here's why the most needy patients will likely suffer. On July 1, Washington State's medical marijuana dispensaries and collectives officially closed, leaving only state-licensed recreational stores to serve patients. Wed, 06 Jul 2016 07:00:00 GMT http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n455/a09.html http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n443/a03.html Seattle Weekly, 29 Jun 2016 - This Week, Hundreds of Marijuana Dispensaries Will Be Shuttered. How did that happen? The evening of November 6, 2012, will live long in the memories of many progressive Seattleites. It was a night of raucous celebration in the heart of Seattle as a singular mass of bodies danced at the corner of Pike Street and 10th Avenue. Wed, 29 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n443/a03.html http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n422/a06.html Yakima Herald-Republic, 19 Jun 2016 - YAKIMA, Wash. - As a cousin to marijuana, hemp has long been banned despite a huge potential for use in a wide range of products, including clothing, building materials and even shampoo. But Yakima will soon be at the forefront of the state's efforts to develop a research program that could lead to a commercial hemp industry. Sun, 19 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n422/a06.html http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n418/a06.html The Herald, 16 Jun 2016 - SEATTLE (AP) - With a deadline looming for the merging of Washington's recreational and medical marijuana markets, cities around the state are warning unlicensed pot dispensaries to close up shop. July 1 marks the date when, after nearly two decades of confusion about the status of medical marijuana, the industry becomes regulated for the first time. Hundreds of pot shop workers are being certified as medical marijuana consultants, the Department of Health is preparing a voluntary registry of patients, and the Liquor and Cannabis Board has been granting endorsements enabling recreational marijuana stores to sell for medical use. Thu, 16 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n418/a06.html