RETURN THE POT

The Seattle Police Department was right to return a laptop and
patient records seized during a raid on a University District
medical-marijuana cooperative.

Unless police and King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg
have evidence of criminal wrongdoing, they should also return 12
ounces of marijuana and several bongs.

Marijuana is a mind-altering substance and recreational use ought to
be prohibited. But voters have said, and the law agrees, that this
reasoning doesn't extend to using the drug for medical purposes.
Cleared of criminal charges, Martin Martinez, who heads the Life Vine
cooperative in the University District, has a right to reclaim his property.

Martinez suffered severe neurological damage in a motorcycle accident
more than two decades ago. He is authorized to possess marijuana for
medical purposes; Satterberg agrees. State medical-marijuana law
allows legal users to keep a 60-day supply. Satterberg acknowledges
the amount of pot taken from Martinez was within the limit.

Follow the logic. Give Martinez all of his property back. Only then
can Martinez recover from something that shouldn't have happened.

Police came to his office on Northeast 50th Street after neighbors
complained of the odor of cannabis in the building. After obtaining a
search warrant, police carted off the pot and files, which included
detailed medical histories and medical-marijuana prescriptions.
Police also broke through part of a wall in search of illegal
marijuana plants. They didn't find any.

Investigating suspicious drug use is appropriate. Along with 10 other
states, Washington allows marijuana for medical use. This dividing
line between illegal and legal use is clear enough for police to
recognize before they knock down walls and cart off personal medical files.