FEDERAL WAY MUST DISCUSS MEDICAL MARIJUANA

There are four Federal Way City Council seats up for election this
year. If you're thinking about running, there are all kinds of issues
you should become familiar with: public safety, economic development,
building codes, streets, parks and ... marijuana.

This is one of those political debates that strikes a strident tone no
matter which side you are on -- whether marijuana should be legalized
and taxed, or remain illegal. With polls over the past several years
continuing to show more support, there seems little doubt that
marijuana will become legal sometime in the next decade.

Rather than debating the issue throughout local coffee shops as the
Legislature struggles with what the state law should be (and Federal
Way leaders try and implement hazy state direction), we took a slight
turn through the maze of business licenses, police enforcement and
cancer. In the process, a quote about people's appearance from the
city's police chief provided further distraction and changed the
dynamic of the community debate.

In 1998, the public, by a significant margin, voted to approved the
legalization of marijuana for medical purposes. It allowed cancer
patients to grow a limited amount of marijuana for their own use. It
also allowed a designated provider to be the primary caregiver for one
patient at a time. It is still illegal to possess or buy and sell. A
bill that would have legalized and taxed marijuana did not get out of
committee and is dead for this legislative session. Another bill that
would protect medical users and legalize dispensaries has passed the
Senate.

Federal Way recently denied a business license -- based on city code --
to two business that want to become dispensaries of medical marijuana.
Without a business license, they cannot operate, although they can
appeal to the city hearing examiner. Hearings are scheduled for this
week and next week. The police department states it has received
complaints from neighbors of the dispensaries about drug dealing, and
appears concerned that due to the fuzzy nature of who qualifies for
medical marijuana, people may be obtaining marijuana for medical
purposes and then reselling it. Also, the dispensaries serve hundreds
of patients, not just a few. The police acknowledge investigations
have occurred, but hesitate to say much more.

It was under these circumstances that Police Chief Brian Wilson
commented, in referring to dispensary customers, "they don't look like
cancer patients." This set off a series of comments and letters
throughout the community that suggested Wilson wasn't sensitive to
cancer patients.

The unfortunate fallout from this episode is that it moved the debate
away from what the city and state policy should be -- and how City Hall
treats its residents with medical issues -- to whether the police
chief's comments were appropriate.

The debate isn't isolated to Federal Way. The Seattle Times published
an editorial supporting the legalization and taxation of marijuana.
With that came a visit from Seattle's former police chief Gil
Kerlikowske, who, in his new role as White House drug czar, spoke out
strongly in response to legalization arguments. As a policy matter,
Seattle sides with the cancer patients and pretty much leaves the
dispensaries alone. Tacoma, which recently ordered 19 dispensaries to
stop selling to patients, is waiting for the state to provide better
direction. Those are political decisions. Belfair also has a
dispensary. Belfair? Strange place for a dispensary.

Bremerton just denied business licenses to dispensaries for the same
reason as Federal Way. The Port Orchard and Fife city councils have
established a six-month moratorium on dispensaries. Those are both
legal and political decisions.

Each of these cities has made decisions on what their policy should
be. Each hopes for additional state guidance.

Here in Federal Way, let us join the debate about the issue and its
consequences. Let's talk about what kind of community we want and
whether we want dispensaries. And if we do, under what conditions?
Let's talk about what our policies should be and what we want the
mayor and council to tell the state Legislature which policy is best
for our community. Let's not get distracted from the real issue. Let
us stipulate that we all care (including the police chief) about
cancer patients and those with life-threatening illnesses, and that
including them in the discussion is a necessity.

As for candidates for Federal Way City Council: What is your
position? Do you want Seattle's more liberal policy? Or do you favor
Fife or Port Orchard's moratoriums?

Are you comfortable with Federal Way's denial of the dispensaries'
business license, or should we have a different policy? Would you have
preferred that the mayor allow the business licenses to support cancer
patients' needs -- while also putting the dispensary owners on notice
that if police investigations determine that the medical marijuana is
being resold, they would be prosecuted? How much direction should the
state Legislature provide? Or should each city council have some
latitude to establish policies that reflect local community standards?

Lastly council candidates, did you really think running for office
would be easy?