When: June 19, 2013, 12 noon
Where: The State Capitol campus, Olympia
Why: The Washington State House and Senate have both added budget amendments that, if passed, will turn control of medical cannabis over to the control of the same Liquor Control board that has publicly stated that medical cannabis is the biggest external threat to the success of their recreational pot stores. The goal of the legislation is to “bring medical cannabis laws into compliance with I-502”. That’s a solution that just won’t work for patients.
What will bringing medical cannabis into compliance with I-502 likely mean to patients?
-If patients must “conform” to I-502, they will be limited to one ounce, just like recreational users.
-They will pay the same 25%+25%+25%+10%+ tax rate as recreational users.
-They will lose their right to personal grows.
-They will lose their right to collective growing, which will also eliminate all the current access points for those that don’t grow, leaving them without medication.
That’s not all!
-They will further restrict doctor recommendations for patients, making it nearly impossible for most patients to get legal recommendations.
-They will set a 21 year old age limit for patients, leaving thousands of sick young people without access to medication and force them to choose between driving or complying with I-502’s “zero tolerance” policy for DUID.
It is not the fault of medical cannabis patients, nor their access points, that the legislature has failed to work with us to come up with common sense regulations. Turning control of our medicine over to the state’s liquor distributor and taxing our medication is certainly not an acceptable solution. We must convince our legislators to work with patients, not the LCB, to come up with solutions that will work for everyone and will not punish patients simply for their choice of medicine.
If you can’t attend the rally, please contact your two Representatives and your Senator. Here’s where you can go to find out who they are and how to contact them: https://app.leg.wa.gov/
You can also express your concerns to your legislators by calling the legislative hotline at: 1-800-562-6000
The message is simple: We don’t want the Liquor Control Board, the states’ liquor distributor, writing rules for controlling medical cannabis and we want that provision stricken from the state budget bill.
If you don’t take action, this could very well be the end of medical cannabis.
For further information on the rally or how you can help, please call: 206-612-9044 or send an email to [email protected]
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State Capitol Campus Parking Information:
https://www.leg.wa.gov/
Campus Map:
https://www.des.wa.gov/
