KING COUNTY ESCHEWS CRACKDOWN ON MEDICAL-MARIJUANA OPERATIONS

King County is adopting a more laissez-faire approach to
medical-marijuana operations as Issaquah, Sammamish and other cities
tighten rules for patient-run collective gardens and other operations.

Issaquah City Council members upheld a six-month moratorium on medical
marijuana collective gardens July 18 -- the same day the council in
neighboring Sammamish enacted a similar moratorium. Federal Way, Kent,
North Bend and other cities also clamped down on medical-marijuana
operations.

King County Executive Dow Constantine, however, does not intend to
propose legislation to address the issue in rural and unincorporated
areas.

"At this time, the executive does not plan to propose any new
regulations governing dispensaries in unincorporated areas of the
county," said Frank Abe, a spokesman for the executive.

The decision means medical-marijuana operations in unincorporated
areas, such as The Kind Alternative Medical Collective, a nonprofit
collective in Preston, can continue operations unaffected.

In the meantime, county officials plan to reach out to residents in
unincorporated areas to address concerns.

"The King County executive, prosecutor and sheriff will continue to
work with unincorporated area communities and other local
jurisdictions to protect public health and safety, and monitor issues
that evolve under the new state law," Abe said.

Initiative 692, passed in 1998, allows people suffering from certain
medical conditions to possess a 60-day supply of marijuana.

Marijuana, for medical purposes or otherwise, remains illegal under
federal law.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg does not prosecute "legitimate
patients who qualify under the law if they reasonably adhere to the
dictates of the statute" -- a policy the prosecutor's office adopted in
October 2008, not long after the state Department of Health clarified
possession rules for medical marijuana users.

County prosecutors continue to pursue marijuana cases related to the
criminal drug trade.

State lawmakers attempted to legalize and regulate marijuana
dispensaries and farms, but Gov. Chris Gregoire vetoed measures to
legalize such operations, and the truncated law took effect July 22.

Under the state law, up to 10 qualifying patients can join together
and form a collective garden of up to 45 plants, so long as the
marijuana is not visible from public spaces.

In unincorporated areas, "King County government will continue, as it
has since the enactment of Initiative 692, to protect public health
and safety through existing laws and regulations," Abe said.