ISSAQUAH MARIJUANA COLLECTIVE FIGHTS FOR LICENSE

The reception area at GreenLink Collective, a medical marijuana
collective nestled on a leafy street in downtown Issaquah, resembles
a doctor's office.

The decision to incorporate soothing colors and a bubbling aquarium
in the lobby is no coincidence.

Founders Jake and Lydia George, a husband-and-wife team, established
GreenLink in a former daycare center late last year to furnish
medical marijuana to patients suffering from AIDS, cancer, multiple
sclerosis and other chronic conditions.

"Our goal has always been to create a safe, comfortable environment
where people can feel that they are not scrutinized, that they are
safe and that it's consistent and there's a resource for them," Lydia
George said.

GreenLink is in the midst of a legal battle for a city business
license, despite the efforts to blend in. The city denied GreenLink's
application, because planners consider the nonprofit organization to
be a drugstore or a pharmacy, and the neighborhood is not zoned for
either type of business.

GreenLink appealed the decision to the hearing examiner, a municipal
official responsible for certain development-related decisions, and
is waiting for a hearing date.

Under city code, some nonprofit organizations and social services can
set up in residential neighborhoods.

Aaron Pelley, a Seattle attorney representing GreenLink, said the
zoning restriction should not apply to the collective.

"I presume that they're going to make the argument that GreenLink
most closely resembles a drugstore or a pharmacy, and that we would
make the counterargument that they most resemble a social service or
a nonprofit organization," he said.

The decision and appeal came not long before state legislators
approved a measure in mid-April to legalize and license dispensaries.
Gov. Chris Gregoire refused to sign the bill and reached out to U.S.
Attorney General Eric Holder last week for "clear guidance" on the
legislation. Marijuana, medical or otherwise, remains illegal under
federal law.

Legislators Seek to Clear the Air

Washington voters legalized medical marijuana in a 1998 ballot
initiative - although the measure offered ambiguous language about
medical marijuana dispensaries and left the Legislature to sort out
any unanswered questions. The recent legislation aimed to clarify the
ill-defined rules for dispensaries.

State Sen. Cheryl Pflug, a registered nurse and a 5th Legislative
District Republican, supported the measure. (The district includes
Issaquah and East King County.)

"It's necessary in order to try to continue to allow access," she
said. "It's been more than a decade, and as we've gone down the road,
the evidence is even more significant that there are some people that
really are not helped by anything else. This does work for some
people pretty well."

Initiative 692 allows people suffering from certain medical
conditions to possess a 60-day supply of marijuana. Physicians can
recommend - but not prescribe - medical marijuana for patients. The
law does not allow for dispensaries, although relaxed enforcement
prompted medical marijuana dispensaries to sprout in many cities.

"We agree with the will of the voters," Lydia George said. "This is
something that they wanted, and the doctors are a part of."

The state Department of Health outlined supply limit guidelines for
medical marijuana in 2008: 24 ounces of usable marijuana, plus 15
plants per person.

Days later, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg issued a memo to
all local law enforcement agencies, saying "legitimate patients who
qualify under the law if they reasonably adhere to the dictates of
the statute" would not be prosecuted.

Issaquah Police Chief Paul Ayers said the guidelines from Satterberg
offered clarity for local police departments.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense to a law enforcement agency to put a
lot of resources into solving a problem that will never be
prosecuted," Ayers said.

Confusion about the medical marijuana law lingers, despite efforts to
clear the air.

Marijuana Purveyors Prompt Concerns

Federal Way, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline and Tacoma cracked down on
dispensaries in recent months after the general counsel for the
Washington Cities Insurance Authority, a municipal-insurance risk
pool, urged cities not to issue business licenses for dispensaries.

"It's irresponsible of some cities to shut these things down and run
them out of town, because they're taking their most vulnerable
citizens" and adding a burden for patients, Jake George said.

Issaquah, like many Washington cities, is a member of the municipal
insurance organization.

"Issaquah has been very fair. They haven't accused them of operating
an illegal business. They've been very forthcoming that the issue
with them is zoning," Pelley said. "This is about one of the most
civil and reasonable issues that I've dealt with."

Pflug described the effort to address issues surrounding medical
marijuana dispensaries and offer clear guidelines to law enforcement
agencies as arduous.

"It's one of those bills where every time you try to solve one
problem, you open a Pandora's box," she said.

Ayers raised concerns about a storefront offering medical marijuana.
The armed robbery last month of a West Seattle medical marijuana
dispensary reminded customers and law enforcement officers of
potential dangers.

"The business itself is not the crime issue," Ayers said. "Anytime
you have a cash business or you have a product business, whether
you're going in or coming out, a bad guy knows he can get something
of value from you. That makes it problematic."

GreenLink enacted steps to address some safety concerns. Patients
must make appointments before dropping in to pick up medical
marijuana, and the organization does not allow walk-in patients.

Otherwise, "you've got a full lobby of people you don't know and you
don't know what their intentions are," Jake George said.

Lydia George said cooperation among medical marijuana purveyors and
law enforcement agencies is a key to success.

"We want to work with the law enforcement community here," she said.
"We have a lot of respect for it. They are our allies, just like we
are theirs."

Diverse Clientele for Medical Marijuana

In addition to dried bud, medical marijuana is also available in
tinctures, topical ointments and edible forms, such as cookies and,
yes, brownies.

"The idea that people are leaving these places with pounds and pounds
is really unrealistic," Lydia George said.

Many patients arrive at GreenLink embarrassed and frightened. The
clientele includes numerous elderly patients, and for some, marijuana
is unfamiliar.

"These conditions affect everybody: young and old, mothers and
fathers, doctors and lawyers," Lydia George said. "It really doesn't
discriminate. I'm always surprised."

The directors estimate most patients reside in Issaquah.

"There are people, all of whom have debilitating conditions, not one
of whom chose to have that, not one of whom is excited," Jake George
said. "I guarantee you any of our patients would trade their
condition away and let their authorization go with it. It's not a
club that people are excited to be a part of."

Supporters said a shift in attitudes about marijuana is occurring in
Washington, although opposition to outright legalization remains strong.

In a February editorial, the largest newspaper in the state, The
Seattle Times, called for marijuana to be legalized in the Evergreen
State. In March, John McKay, a former U.S. attorney in Seattle, said
marijuana should be legalized.

The medical marijuana dispensary legislation in Olympia attracted
some GOP support, including from Pflug and freshman Republican state
Sen. Steve Litzow, another Issaquah representative.

GreenLink is not alone in the Issaquah area. Kind Alternative, a
medical marijuana dispensary in Preston in unincorporated King
County, opened in February.

Inside GreenLink, a board features the colorful names for medical
marijuana offerings, such as Blue Dream and Dutch Treat. Jake George
said the fanciful names belie patients' medical conditions.

"We're dealing with people that have serious conditions," he said.
"It's not people with hangnails and sprained ankles."