Pubdate: Sat, 21 Mar 2015
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2015 The Seattle Times Company
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Author: Evan Bush

BILL WOULD ALLOW HOME POT GROWING

Two Washington lawmakers announced a bill Thursday that would allow 
anyone 21 years old or older to grow as many as six marijuana plants 
and share their pot.

Anyone growing their own marijuana, for recreational or medical 
purposes, would be allowed to possess eight ounces - seven more than 
the current recreational limit.

Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, sponsored the bill in the 
Senate; Rep. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen, introduced the bill in the house.

The home-grow provision was part of Senator Kohl-Welles' vision for 
overhauling the marijuana market earlier this year, but lawmakers 
turned their focus earlier this session to a competing bill 
championed by Ann Rivers, R-La Center.

Kohl-Welles attempted to amend Rivers' bill with a home-growing 
provision but did not get enough votes.

In Rivers' bill, medical-marijuana patients in a registry would be 
allowed to grow their own marijuana and combine their efforts in 
collective grow operations.

Kohl-Welles said she did not like the idea of a registry. She said 
her measure would cut out the cost of administering such a system, 
reduce bureaucracy and provide clear direction to law enforcement.

"They (law enforcement) can count up to six plants and don't have to 
worry about these gardens with several people and are they really 
medical marijuana patients? Did they get an authorization? Are they 
in a registry?" Kohl-Welles said.

The bill was introduced after the Legislative session's cutoff for 
policy bills, but Kohl-Welles said she was hopeful it could be part 
of a compromise.

"You never know what will happen with an issue like marijuana," she 
said. "It could serve as part of the negotiation later on."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom