May 19, 2015

People Under 21 Can No Longer Participate In Medical Marijuana Collective Gardens In Washington

May 19, 2015
washington state marijuana regulations

washington medical marijuana sb 5052Washington Senate Bill 5052 was signed into law last month. The bill made sweeping changes to Washington’s medical marijuana program. A lot of patients will be forced back to the black market, or worse, will have to go without medicine altogether. Of course, they could to to recreational marijuana stores, which I think is what Washington politicians want, but the price of recreational marijuana is so expensive in Washington that it’s simply too costly for most patients.

There is a provision of Washington Senate Bill 5052 that I think a lot of people overlooked, and it will likely lead to some issues. Per The Joint Blog:

Section 32 of SB 5052 clearly states that no one under 21 may participate in a collective garden, regardless of whether or not they’re a qualified patient. A designated provider is authorized to purchase cannabis for those under 21, but the patient is not allowed to enter the facility themselves.

Section 33 of SB 5052 allows the state’s Liquor Control Board to do controlled purchases (sting operations) at collective gardens to see if they are allowing those under 21 to participate. This section makes it a misdemeanor for those under 21 who do participate in a collective garden.

The full text of Senate Bill 5052 can be found by clicking here (line-item vetoes made by the governor can be found here).

If someone is a patient, and has a valid medical marijuana patient designation, they should be allowed to purchase medicine. A patient can be under 21 and possess, consume, and even cultivate medical marijuana, but they can’t enter a collective to purchase the medical marijuana themselves. That seems ridiculous. But then again, that’s the case with most (if not all) of Washington Senate Bill 5052.

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