Washington’s roll-out for retail marijuana has been less than graceful, and figuring out what to do with the medical marijuana system in the state has become a bit of a fiasco. That doesn’t even address the grey market that has evolved because of retail’s high taxes. Needless to say, the medical and retail marijuana systems in Washington as they currently stand are not sustainable.
So, Washington State legislators have gotten a jump start on next years session and have pre-filed a number of bills to address Washington’s current marijuana regulation shortcomings.
Here are the bills pre-filed as of Monday:
1. House bill 1041 would restrict people getting a marijuana misdemeanor conviction vacated by the courts to those over 21 years of age.
2. Senate Bill 5003 would increase taxes on marijuana and also give the state more authority to collect those taxes.
3. House Bill 1020 would do a bunch of things, among including: redefine marijuana and licensed dispensers and processors, and protect the rights of collective gardens for medical purposes and the rights of patients not to be evicted for marijuana use.
4. Senate Bill 5002 would make marijuana use while driving a traffic infraction.