Pubdate: Tue, 19 Apr 2011
Source: Issaquah Press (WA)
Copyright: 2011 Issaquah Press
Contact:  http://www.issaquahpress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5255
Author: Warren Kagarise
Bookmark: http://www.drugsense.org/cms/geoview/n-us-wa (Washington)

ISSAQUAH MARIJUANA COLLECTIVE FIGHTS FOR LICENSE

The reception area at GreenLink Collective, a medical marijuana 
collective nestled on a leafy street in downtown Issaquah, resembles 
a doctor's office.

The decision to incorporate soothing colors and a bubbling aquarium 
in the lobby is no coincidence.

Founders Jake and Lydia George, a husband-and-wife team, established 
GreenLink in a former daycare center late last year to furnish 
medical marijuana to patients suffering from AIDS, cancer, multiple 
sclerosis and other chronic conditions.

"Our goal has always been to create a safe, comfortable environment 
where people can feel that they are not scrutinized, that they are 
safe and that it's consistent and there's a resource for them," Lydia 
George said.

GreenLink is in the midst of a legal battle for a city business 
license, despite the efforts to blend in. The city denied GreenLink's 
application, because planners consider the nonprofit organization to 
be a drugstore or a pharmacy, and the neighborhood is not zoned for 
either type of business.

GreenLink appealed the decision to the hearing examiner, a municipal 
official responsible for certain development-related decisions, and 
is waiting for a hearing date.

Under city code, some nonprofit organizations and social services can 
set up in residential neighborhoods.

Aaron Pelley, a Seattle attorney representing GreenLink, said the 
zoning restriction should not apply to the collective.

"I presume that they're going to make the argument that GreenLink 
most closely resembles a drugstore or a pharmacy, and that we would 
make the counterargument that they most resemble a social service or 
a nonprofit organization," he said.

The decision and appeal came not long before state legislators 
approved a measure in mid-April to legalize and license dispensaries. 
Gov. Chris Gregoire refused to sign the bill and reached out to U.S. 
Attorney General Eric Holder last week for "clear guidance" on the 
legislation. Marijuana, medical or otherwise, remains illegal under 
federal law.

Legislators Seek to Clear the Air

Washington voters legalized medical marijuana in a 1998 ballot 
initiative - although the measure offered ambiguous language about 
medical marijuana dispensaries and left the Legislature to sort out 
any unanswered questions. The recent legislation aimed to clarify the 
ill-defined rules for dispensaries.

State Sen. Cheryl Pflug, a registered nurse and a 5th Legislative 
District Republican, supported the measure. (The district includes 
Issaquah and East King County.)

"It's necessary in order to try to continue to allow access," she 
said. "It's been more than a decade, and as we've gone down the road, 
the evidence is even more significant that there are some people that 
really are not helped by anything else. This does work for some 
people pretty well."

Initiative 692 allows people suffering from certain medical 
conditions to possess a 60-day supply of marijuana. Physicians can 
recommend - but not prescribe - medical marijuana for patients. The 
law does not allow for dispensaries, although relaxed enforcement 
prompted medical marijuana dispensaries to sprout in many cities.

"We agree with the will of the voters," Lydia George said. "This is 
something that they wanted, and the doctors are a part of."

The state Department of Health outlined supply limit guidelines for 
medical marijuana in 2008: 24 ounces of usable marijuana, plus 15 
plants per person.

Days later, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg issued a memo to 
all local law enforcement agencies, saying "legitimate patients who 
qualify under the law if they reasonably adhere to the dictates of 
the statute" would not be prosecuted.

Issaquah Police Chief Paul Ayers said the guidelines from Satterberg 
offered clarity for local police departments.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense to a law enforcement agency to put a 
lot of resources into solving a problem that will never be 
prosecuted," Ayers said.

Confusion about the medical marijuana law lingers, despite efforts to 
clear the air.

Marijuana Purveyors Prompt Concerns

Federal Way, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline and Tacoma cracked down on 
dispensaries in recent months after the general counsel for the 
Washington Cities Insurance Authority, a municipal-insurance risk 
pool, urged cities not to issue business licenses for dispensaries.

"It's irresponsible of some cities to shut these things down and run 
them out of town, because they're taking their most vulnerable 
citizens" and adding a burden for patients, Jake George said.

Issaquah, like many Washington cities, is a member of the municipal 
insurance organization.

"Issaquah has been very fair. They haven't accused them of operating 
an illegal business. They've been very forthcoming that the issue 
with them is zoning," Pelley said. "This is about one of the most 
civil and reasonable issues that I've dealt with."

Pflug described the effort to address issues surrounding medical 
marijuana dispensaries and offer clear guidelines to law enforcement 
agencies as arduous.

"It's one of those bills where every time you try to solve one 
problem, you open a Pandora's box," she said.

Ayers raised concerns about a storefront offering medical marijuana. 
The armed robbery last month of a West Seattle medical marijuana 
dispensary reminded customers and law enforcement officers of 
potential dangers.

"The business itself is not the crime issue," Ayers said. "Anytime 
you have a cash business or you have a product business, whether 
you're going in or coming out, a bad guy knows he can get something 
of value from you. That makes it problematic."

GreenLink enacted steps to address some safety concerns. Patients 
must make appointments before dropping in to pick up medical 
marijuana, and the organization does not allow walk-in patients.

Otherwise, "you've got a full lobby of people you don't know and you 
don't know what their intentions are," Jake George said.

Lydia George said cooperation among medical marijuana purveyors and 
law enforcement agencies is a key to success.

"We want to work with the law enforcement community here," she said. 
"We have a lot of respect for it. They are our allies, just like we 
are theirs."

Diverse Clientele for Medical Marijuana

In addition to dried bud, medical marijuana is also available in 
tinctures, topical ointments and edible forms, such as cookies and, 
yes, brownies.

"The idea that people are leaving these places with pounds and pounds 
is really unrealistic," Lydia George said.

Many patients arrive at GreenLink embarrassed and frightened. The 
clientele includes numerous elderly patients, and for some, marijuana 
is unfamiliar.

"These conditions affect everybody: young and old, mothers and 
fathers, doctors and lawyers," Lydia George said. "It really doesn't 
discriminate. I'm always surprised."

The directors estimate most patients reside in Issaquah.

"There are people, all of whom have debilitating conditions, not one 
of whom chose to have that, not one of whom is excited," Jake George 
said. "I guarantee you any of our patients would trade their 
condition away and let their authorization go with it. It's not a 
club that people are excited to be a part of."

Supporters said a shift in attitudes about marijuana is occurring in 
Washington, although opposition to outright legalization remains strong.

In a February editorial, the largest newspaper in the state, The 
Seattle Times, called for marijuana to be legalized in the Evergreen 
State. In March, John McKay, a former U.S. attorney in Seattle, said 
marijuana should be legalized.

The medical marijuana dispensary legislation in Olympia attracted 
some GOP support, including from Pflug and freshman Republican state 
Sen. Steve Litzow, another Issaquah representative.

GreenLink is not alone in the Issaquah area. Kind Alternative, a 
medical marijuana dispensary in Preston in unincorporated King 
County, opened in February.

Inside GreenLink, a board features the colorful names for medical 
marijuana offerings, such as Blue Dream and Dutch Treat. Jake George 
said the fanciful names belie patients' medical conditions.

"We're dealing with people that have serious conditions," he said. 
"It's not people with hangnails and sprained ankles."  
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake