Early this afternoon, the Washington State Senate voted 27-21 to concur, so SB 5073 as passed by the House on April 11is now on the desk of Governor Chris Gregoire. Our only hope to secure real arrest protection for all authorized patients — now, not later — is for it to be included in the trailer bill legislators are preparing for introduction in the upcoming special session.
Protection from being terrorized by police should be afforded to all authorized patients, not withheld from some of them in an attempt to coerce them into registering their medical treatment decision with the state. Such manufacturing of incentive to use the future “voluntary registry” is shameful.
Voting Yea: Senators Baumgartner, Brown, Chase, Delvin, Eide, Fain, Fraser, Harper, Hatfield, Hill, Hobbs, Keiser, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Litzow, McAuliffe, Murray, Nelson, Pflug, Prentice, Pridemore, Ranker, Regala, Rockefeller, Tom, White, and Zarelli
Voting Nay: Senators Baxter, Becker, Benton, Carrell, Conway, Ericksen, Hargrove, Haugen, Hewitt, Holmquist Newbry, Honeyford, Kastama, Kilmer, King, Morton, Roach, Schoesler, Sheldon, Shin, Stevens, and Swecker
Excused: Senator Parlette
Artilcle from Cannabis Defense Coalition
