The sponsor of the Washington State marijuana bill for home-grown marijuana that was defeated in committee earlier this month told Marijuana Moment she will continue to advocate policy changes and plans to present yet another legalization proposal next year.
Shelley Kloba, a Democratic Representative from California, said via email: “I’m committed to this cause and will run a new bill next session.” “Each session has its own characteristics and constraints which has meant that so far the bill hasn’t advanced to the Senate. “But I will not give up.”
Washington, despite being one of the first states to have legalized marijuana for adult usage, is still among the few states that allow adults to cultivate cannabis plants for personal use.
Kloba reiterated arguments she has made to her colleagues in previous legislative sessions. “More 10 years after our regulated legal marijuana system was created, it is still a Class C crime for an average person to grow cannabis at home.”
If HB 219 4 had been passed, it would have allowed adults over 21 to grow four plants each, and no more than ten per household.
Since 2015, there have been several attempts to pass legislation allowing personal cultivation. However, each attempt has failed.
Observers have speculated that the state’s officials are against homegrow due to its potential impact on tax revenue. This issue was not raised during the public discussion of the bill in the committee this session. Kloba stated that other indicators indicated that the cost to the state will be minimal.
Kloba, speaking to Marijuana Moment, said that logic would tell us that the cannabis industry would be against allowing residents grow cannabis in their homes if it meant a significant loss in tax revenue. “This is not the situation. Instead, licensees are in favor of this bill.”
Some industry representatives and organizations have supported the bill. They compare home cannabis production to wine or beer production, which is more likely to generate enthusiasm in consumers than to replace their usual purchases.
Kloba did acknowledge that the “projections of tax revenue losses for this bill are large and based upon assumptions for which we do not have specific data.”
Washington State has a 37 percent state tax on all legal marijuana sales, which is among the highest in America.
When asked if she had considered running a ballot measure to ask voters to vote on the issue, Kloba said that was still a longshot.
She replied, “A referendum was not something I had considered.” If it was a legislative referendum on a particular bill, then you’re right. But it would require a lot of resources to make it successful.
The change’s advocates, including leaders from Homegrow Washington who have considered running a ballot initiative in the past, say that just qualifying an initiative to cultivate personal crops for the ballot can cost hundreds of thousands.
Pete Holmes, former city attorney in Seattle, spoke out last month to support the proposal. The Democrat led the reform of marijuana possession laws in Seattle and backed a ballot initiative for statewide legalization.
Holmes stated, “When you are the first to face prohibition in this country, there are many unknowns.” As a primary sponsor for I-502 in 2011, I am able to tell you that home grows were a challenge. The initial 502 did not include it because we wanted to better understand the viability and taxes of a newly-legalized cannabis industry.
He continued: “It is now clear that Washington consumers have the right to grow their own marijuana for personal use, just as many states who legalized cannabis in the last decade did before Washington.”
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The law enforcement community, which had opposed the proposal for years, now takes a neutral position on the measure. At an hearing, a representative of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs stated that the group had no formal position regarding the bill.
Members of a House Committee voted separately this month to advance the measure by Rep. Lauren Davis, (D), that originally was intended to limit THC potency for retail marijuana products. It would, in its current form however, require cannabis retailers warn about the potential health risks associated with high-THC products, and state that lawmakers plan to “consider raising the minimum legal age for the sale of high THC products to 25 years of age.”
A cannabis bill that was introduced in Washington during this session would have roll back protections recently implemented for job candidates who use marijuana. This would undo the anti-discrimination provisions for people looking to work in the industry of drug treatment. The bill was not considered by the committee in time for it to be advanced.
Legislators have also introduced legislation that would create a legal framework to allow vets and first responders access to psychedelic assisted therapy. This measure would build upon a pilot program that was signed into law in last year . However, it has not progressed since its filing.
The psychedelics bill comes at a time when grassroots efforts are underway in Washington to decriminalize the use of entheogens by local authorities, while reducing the enforcement of state laws. Organizers from six Washington cities have been working on reform. They also believe that this is a good way to gain support for a state-level policy change.
The state Department of Commerce released recommendations late last year on how $200 million could be spent in order to address the racial and economic disparities that were created by the War on Drugs. The state also approved 10 million in refunds for drug convictions that were vacated.
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The post Washington State Marijuana Grow Bill Sponsor: “I Am Committed to This Issue” appeared initially on Marijuana Minute.
