Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Walla Walla County commissioners should not have included medical marijuana operations in the county's overall ban on pot production, processing and sale.
Taking that step, as commissioners did Monday, undercuts the spirit of the law that makes medical marijuana legal in Washington state.
We have long supported the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Long before cannabis was legalized by voters for recreation we advocated the federal government allow it to be prescribed for medical use and distributed through pharmacies like every other prescription medicine.
Unfortunately, too many members of Congress continue to be afraid to take that action because of the politics of the war on drugs. The issue is too often framed around crime rather than medicine and health.
However, medical marijuana is legal in some states, including Washington.
Yet, marijuana laws are not uniform across Washington state because local governments – with the blessing of an opinion by the state attorney general – have been opting out of allowing the growing and selling of marijuana.
The three Walla Walla County Commissioners have made it clear they are personally not in favor of legal marijuana. However, there are many laws approved by voters that public officials disagree with but they must still follow that law. We believe they should, as the city of Walla Walla has done, allow the marijuana laws to prevail as the voters intended.
It makes zero sense for this state to have a patchwork of pot laws.
Beyond that, curbing marijuana for medical purposes seems particularly egregious. Many people need marijuana to treat serious disease and symptoms – or for pain control, anxiety and nausea. It works, which is why it has been made legal.
Commissioners Perry Dozier and Jim Johnson voted to implement the ban. Commissioner Jim Duncan voted against the ban because county's ban has been "completely nullified" by the city of Walla Walla allowing marijuana operations. And, he said, the county's ban has also been rendered ineffective by the state continuing to license marijuana producers in the county.
Duncan makes a valid point that his fellow commissioners should have embraced. The county ban is a mere symbol.
Unfortunately, in this case, the symbolic message isn't necessarily a stand against an illegal drug, it's a vote to deny people easy access to the medication they need.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: County's Ban On Medical Pot Operations Not Necessary
Author: Editorial Board
Contact: 509-525-3301
Photo Credit: Karen Ducey
Website: Union-Bulletin
Taking that step, as commissioners did Monday, undercuts the spirit of the law that makes medical marijuana legal in Washington state.
We have long supported the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Long before cannabis was legalized by voters for recreation we advocated the federal government allow it to be prescribed for medical use and distributed through pharmacies like every other prescription medicine.
Unfortunately, too many members of Congress continue to be afraid to take that action because of the politics of the war on drugs. The issue is too often framed around crime rather than medicine and health.
However, medical marijuana is legal in some states, including Washington.
Yet, marijuana laws are not uniform across Washington state because local governments – with the blessing of an opinion by the state attorney general – have been opting out of allowing the growing and selling of marijuana.
The three Walla Walla County Commissioners have made it clear they are personally not in favor of legal marijuana. However, there are many laws approved by voters that public officials disagree with but they must still follow that law. We believe they should, as the city of Walla Walla has done, allow the marijuana laws to prevail as the voters intended.
It makes zero sense for this state to have a patchwork of pot laws.
Beyond that, curbing marijuana for medical purposes seems particularly egregious. Many people need marijuana to treat serious disease and symptoms – or for pain control, anxiety and nausea. It works, which is why it has been made legal.
Commissioners Perry Dozier and Jim Johnson voted to implement the ban. Commissioner Jim Duncan voted against the ban because county's ban has been "completely nullified" by the city of Walla Walla allowing marijuana operations. And, he said, the county's ban has also been rendered ineffective by the state continuing to license marijuana producers in the county.
Duncan makes a valid point that his fellow commissioners should have embraced. The county ban is a mere symbol.
Unfortunately, in this case, the symbolic message isn't necessarily a stand against an illegal drug, it's a vote to deny people easy access to the medication they need.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: County's Ban On Medical Pot Operations Not Necessary
Author: Editorial Board
Contact: 509-525-3301
Photo Credit: Karen Ducey
Website: Union-Bulletin
