WHEN A BUZZ CALLS FOR PIZZA, THE STATE WILL PAY (NOT!)

A comprehensive expansion of the medical marijuana law is poised for a
vote on the House floor, so Rep. Glenn Anderson thinks it is high time
to recognize a vital support industry: pizza restaurants.

Anderson, R-Fall City, proposed a joke amendment requiring the state
to reimburse medical marijuana patients for pizza they eat while
legally high. It is no government giveaway: Anderson's amendment would
not reimburse for more than three toppings or for tips to delivery
drivers.

"It's the best amendment in the history of the Legislature," said
Philip Dawdy, a spokesperson for the Washington Cannabis
Association.

Anderson said he came up with the idea during a House Republican
caucus Friday morning, when lawmakers started talking about favorite
munchies. "It got to be a pretty long list of favorite comfort foods,"
he said. "But you've got to draw the line somewhere."

He supports the bill, SB 5073, because it would impose a "framework"
on how medical marijuana could be legally grown and dispensed. The
law, passed by voters in 1998, is rife with unanswered questions,
including whether dispensaries are legal. SB 5073, which already has
passed the Senate, would legalize and regulate commercial grow farms,
food processors and dispensaries, and would give legal patients
protection from search and arrest for possessing marijuana.

Anderson suspects that most lawmakers have smoked pot -- "and inhaled"
- -- and that the House will pass the bill if it's brought the floor.
Other, more serious proposed amendments would require dispensaries to
not locate within 1,000 feet of schools, would let cities ban
dispensaries or grow farms, and would require patients to be 21 or
older.

The bill could come up for a vote on the House floor any time. If so,
Anderson said he plans to talk about the amendment, and then might
withdraw it.

"Times are pretty serious right now," Anderson said, referencing the
federal budget battle, the Japanese tsunami and the economy. "At this
point smoking a joint might not be a bad idea."