Pubdate: Sat, 25 Aug 2012
Source: Kitsap Sun (WA)
Copyright: 2012 Kitsap Sun
Contact: http://web.kitsapsun.com/scripts/letters.html
Website: http://www.kitsapsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4404
Author: Josh Farley

ACCESS TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA EXPANDS IN KITSAP

PORT ORCHARD -- A bad wreck four years ago left Raymond Alloway with 
chronic pain in his back, neck and legs and triggered migraine headaches.

A year after the accident, he discovered marijuana as medicine and 
got authorized to use cannabis to relieve pain and headaches.

Alloway, though, chose to go beyond helping himself: he and a friend 
decided to dive into the still-murky, unregulated world of medical 
marijuana to help other patients get their medicine. They got their 
nonprofit business license from the state in April and they operate 
West Sound Quality Co-Op on Mile Hill Drive.

"We provide a place where patients can meet with other patients so 
they can get their medicine," he said.

Alloway, 30, is among a growing number of patients who've made access 
to medical cannabis far more available in Kitsap County in the past 
two years. And, as the son of former local drug detective Roy Alloway 
- -- long known for his career in marijuana law enforcement -- he wants 
to play by all the rules as best he knows them.

"We want to abide by anything they throw at us," he said of Kitsap 
County regulations. "We want to be here for the patient."

Raymond Alloway said his father's work earned the retired detective 
notoriety in the medical marijuana community. But he believed his dad 
was just trying to enforce the law. (Roy Alloway is currently serving 
two years in federal prison for illegal gun sales.)

"He got a bad rap, but they were bending the rules," he said of the 
people his father investigated.

Those suffering from ailments and diseases including AIDS, cancer and 
arthritis venture to the nondescript home where West Sound Quality 
Co-Op operates. For a $10 a gram donation, patients can choose from 
different strains of cannabis, including one known as "Alloway 420," 
named by a Seattle medical marijuana activist named after Raymond's father.

A LITTLE MORE COMFORTABLE?

Medical marijuana advocates, including patients like Alloway, say 
there has been a shift in recent years toward more public -- and 
safer -- access to medicine in the county.

"Kitsap was a county where patients really had to watch their back 
over the years," said Philip Dawdy, spokesman for the Washington 
Alternative Medicine Alliance. "But I think both sides (patients and 
law enforcement) are becoming a little more comfortable with each other."

There are more places in Kitsap and around the state that issue 
authorizations for medical cannabis for patients presenting a 
qualifying illness or ailment. Blue Horizon Medical, a naturopathic 
clinic that also provides cannabis authorizations to patients, opened 
in Silverdale in June.

And a quick search of sites like thcfinder.com and weedmaps.com show 
a local landscape increasingly dotted with access points for medical 
marijuana patients.

One of those is Cloud 9 Cares, founded in 2009 by medical marijuana 
patient Jeff Raub. It functions as a kind of middleman, finding 
medical cannabis for the patient and then delivering it to them in 
exchange for a donation.

In 2009, Raub, who uses cannabis to relieve pain from breaking his 
back twice, got a business license through the state's Department of 
Revenue and got some office space off Bucklin Hill Road in Silverdale.

He said he provides medicine for about 100 to 150 qualified patients 
each quarter, sometimes not even accepting donations if the patients 
can't afford it. When they can, he tries to keep it affordable, with 
a suggested $10 a gram donation.

"We just want patients to be as comfortable as possible, without fear 
of prosecution or excessive cost," he said.

SHIFT IN PRIORITIES?

Steve Elliott, a Kingston resident and medical marijuana patient who 
authors the "Toke of the Town" blog and a column for Seattle Weekly, 
said he has noticed more access to marijuana for authorized patients in Kitsap.

"To see progress happen before our eyes makes me happy," Elliott said.

Why there are more places available to get it in the county is a more 
difficult question to answer.

Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge said his office has not altered 
its stance -- that dispensaries are illegal -- and that prosecutors 
continue to examine any case referred to them by law enforcement in that light.

"We've not changed priorities or processes in any way on our end," he said.

Kitsap County's two local drug task forces say they respect the 
medical marijuana law but will investigate allegations of 
drug-trafficking, even if someone has doctor's authorization to use 
medical cannabis.

West Sound Narcotics Enforcement Team Sgt. James Mjor points out that 
in "99.9 percent" of marijuana investigations, a person will cite a 
doctor's authorization to have pot.

But Mjor said the team will put its efforts toward the most serious 
drug threats. And right now, "heroin is a big priority," he said. 
"It's killing people."

Detectives can and do investigate marijuana complaints, though, and 
if they find evidence of drug dealing and profiting, they won't 
hesitate to take action, he said.

Bremerton Police's Special Operations Group confirmed that the number 
of marijuana cases its investigating are down. Randy Plumb, the 
group's sergeant, said that like Mjor's team, they've had to 
prioritize cases because of limited resources.

Plumb said detectives respond to complaints in the community about 
marijuana and have inspected homes to ensure compliance with the 
medical marijuana law. But if evidence of drug-dealing surfaces -- a 
person has a digital scale, packaging material, text messages 
discussing transactions, a safe, perhaps even a gun -- it's going to 
pique detectives' interest.Raub, Cloud 9 Cares owner, has had his own 
run-ins with the law. He's been stopped in a car multiple times by 
officers who, upon smelling marijuana, questioned his medical status, 
took marijuana and reported back to prosecutors. He's been 
investigated by both local drug task forces (though he was not 
convicted in either case). He's also been a victim of robbers who 
knew he was a medical marijuana patient.

Ultimately, he said he's tried to stay in bounds of the state's 
medical marijuana law, but he understands the risks involved of 
working in the industry.

Raub said he ensures that at all points along the way, the marijuana 
is always handled by qualified patients and that they stay within the 
law's maximum allowable amounts: 24 processed ounces.

The fine print on a Cloud 9 Cares form new patients fill in spells 
out the transaction: "Any donations received are only compensation 
for time, nutrients, electricity costs and other factors involved in 
the process of production and delivery of medical grade marijuana and 
not toward the sale or purchase of medication itself."

"I'm proud of what I do," Raub said. "I know people sometimes see it 
as an alternative drug-trafficking system. But there's a lot of 
people who truly benefit from medical cannabis."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom