Considered by some to be the most comprehensive piece of Washington State’s medical marijuana legislation, SB 5073 is to be debated today in the Ways and Means Committee after passing the Senate 29-20. The bill currently has the support of the medical establishment, the entire Seattle City Council, and the King County Medical Society. The ACLU supports the bill and Alison Holcomb, the drug policy director, says:
From a criminal defense perspective, the key points are that it substitutes real protection from arrest and prosecution for the current affirmative defense, and it establishes a licensed and regulated system of producers, processors, and dispensers so that patients no longer have to wonder how they’re supposed to access medical marijuana. It will put an end to travesties like this, this, and this.
The bill improves the medical marijuana laws in Washington by providing more protection for those licensed providers and users. Currently licensed providers and users can be arrested and then, once charged with serious crimes and facing incarceration, the licensed provider or user must assert a defense at trial. This means that a licensed person can be convicted of crimes and go to jail! SB 5073 isn’t the perfect fix but it is a large improvement.
You can read the bill here.