WEED CO-OP BILL REJECTED BY COMMITEE

A bill that would legalize nonprofit patient cooperatives for medical
marijuana users and create a registry of those users in Washington
state did not receive enough votes Friday, May 20 to pass through the
Senate Ways and Means Committee.

In April, Gov. Chris Gregoire legalized collective gardens for medical
marijuana users who could not grow their own plants. But, she vetoed
portions of the bill that provided arrest protection for marijuana
users registered with the Department of Health, and for those who
registered or licensed a dispensary.

Gregoire said the federal government made it clear that state law
would not provide protection for individuals from federal prosecution.
She said the measures would put state employees at risk of federal
prosecution, according to the senate report for the new bill.

Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, one of the sponsors of the bill, said
sponsors will have to wait until the next legislative session to bring
the bill to the floor again.

In a monthly meeting Thursday, May 19, the Whatcom County Democrats
endorsed an initiative sponsored by Sensible Washington that would
decriminalize the use of marijuana by adults. The initiative, which
could show up on the November ballot, would leave penalties in place
for minors, but remove marijuana from the list of controlled
substances.