GOVERNOR'S VETO DEALS BLOW TO LOCAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

After pressure from both the federal and state level, Gov. Chris
Gregoire vetoed most of Senate Bill 5073, the bill passed by
lawmakers that would have allowed for medical marijuana dispensaries
in Washington.

While dispensaries have cropped up throughout the state, and so far
skirted the issue of their legality, Friday's announcement from
Olympia means patients and caregivers must find other means to connect.

In a prepared statement April 29, Gregoire again stated her concerns
that legalizing dispensaries would put "state employees at risk (of
federal prosecution)." She also referenced the promises of action
from U.S. attorneys that would be taken against those operating
dispensaries, citing last Thursday's raids in Spokane. The DEA, along
with support from local law support, raided and shut down five
dispensaries in Spokane.

"Ultimately, the state is limited in its ability to deal with these
issues," the governor said. "State law does not trump federal law."

Gregoire said she is still open to discussing the issue. She said she
plans on speaking with the governors of the other 14 states that
currently allow medical marijuana to see if there is something that
could be done about marijuana's classification as a drug. It is
currently a Schedule 1 narcotic, the highest and strictest level of
enforcement in federal drug laws. The classification puts marijuana
on par with ecstasy, heroin and LSD.

Gregoire said she hoped marijuana could be reduced to a Schedule 2
narcotic, which would allow it to be prescribed by doctors and
distributed from pharmacies like any other medication.

In Federal Way, a miniature version of the battle being fought in
Olympia has taken place. The city council recently enacted a
moratorium on dispensaries within city limits.

That decision came after legal skirmishes with Conscious Care
Cooperative and GAME Collective, two of three dispensaries that had
opened for business within city limits in the last year. After the
governor's veto on Friday, it appears Conscious Care and GAME, along
with Cascade Medical Center, will face consequences including fines
and criminal charges if they continue their operations in Federal Way.

In an email correspondence, city spokesman Chris Carrel wrote that
Federal Way was "reviewing the governor's veto actions and assessing
its policy implications." From the city's standpoint, not much has
changed, as Carrel wrote that "with the governor's vetoing (of) major
provisions of the legislation... it appears that the sale of medical
marijuana is still illegal under both state and federal law."

For Conscious Care Cooperative, one of the three dispensaries that
had been attempting to operate within Federal Way, Gregoire's veto
means a shift in what they will attempt to do for medical marijuana
patients in the area.

Brad Ecklund, manager of Conscious Care, said Conscious Care's intent
will now be to put patients in touch with doctors.

"We hope to replace the dispensary with a medical facility employing
doctors who write medical marijuana recommendations," Ecklund said.

While Ecklund looks to shift the focus of his organization's efforts
in Federal Way, Cascade Medical Center owner Dave Madrid feels the
people of Washington are being ignored by their elected officials.

"The bottom line is, the city of Federal Way and the governor have
turned their back on what the voters voted in," he said.

Madrid expressed his displeasure at the fact that his time and effort
in attempting to get Cascade off the ground essentially amounts to
nothing due to the governor's veto.

"I spent the last three months trying to put it together, and at this
time, I can't open it," Madrid said. "If I do (open), they'll shut me
down, or give me a criminal offense."

All was not lost for advocates of medical marijuana use on Friday, as
the governor did sign parts of the bill that allowed for clearer
legal defense of medical marijuana users in certain situations, and
also for the creation of "gardens" that could contain up to 45 plants.