Medical marijuana patients in Washington State should probably not have to worry about federal intervention at this point. But a member of the Washington Liquor control board says the fate of medical marijuana dispensaries is uncertain.
The Washington legislature failed to enact legislation proposed last session that would have rolled the state’s medical marijuana system into the new recreational program.
The Liquor Control Board was involved in the process by sending recommendations to lawmakers regarding Medical pot. They were prompted by concerns that the Federal government had over pot sales or production that were not covered under the state’s new system that they considered to be a grey area.
The liquor board’s Chris Marr says the Feds had issued a memorandum that listed several scenarios that they said could prompt legal action that could mean bad news for the state’s medical marijuana dispensaries.
Marr: “If I was a dispensary right now operating, I would probably be pretty concerned if operated with 100 feet of a school with the issue of youth access or ties to criminal enterprises, or were diverting some of my product to states outside of Washington.”
Marr says he believes those with medical marijuana permits that are growing their own pot likely do not face any legal action from the Federal government. He says he expects the state legislature to again take up the issue of medical marijuana next session.
