Washington State Medical Patients Worry About Changing Marijuana Laws March 10, 2015 John Hollon Policy & Legal, Washington 0 Comments OLYMPIA — Just outside the room with jars full of cannabis, Rainier Xpress owner Patrick Seifert points out the photos of veterans on the walls of the medical-marijuana dispensary’s waiting area. They’re all customers, says Seifert, who added that he… Read More→
Washington Town Will Be First Government to Own a Marijuana Store March 6, 2015 John Hollon Policy & Legal, Washington 0 Comments Of all the steps taken since Washington legalized marijuana, North Bonneville’s might be boldest. The town of about 1,000 in Skamania County, which sits on the Columbia River about 40 miles northeast of Portland, is becoming the first government in… Read More→
Federal Trial Begins Against Family That Grew Medical Marijuana February 27, 2015 Kyle Meagher Washington 0 Comments A high-profile federal trial began Wednesday for three family members and a close family friend who have been charged with illegally possessing and distributing medical marijuana, among other offenses. If convicted, the defendants face minimum mandatory sentences of 10 years… Read More→
Washington State Cannabis Legislative Update: What Bills You Need to Pay Attention To February 23, 2015 John Davis Policy & Legal, Washington 0 Comments By John Davis Before I begin my update, I want to say that I'm simply reporting on the movement and strategy of the legislative process. In my 20 years of watching legislation move, I have yet to see the perfect bill.… Read More→
Washington Has More Pot than it Can Smoke February 11, 2015 Rob Meagher Washington 0 Comments Supply is outstripping demand in the unlikeliest place—legal recreational marijuana in the state of Washington. Growers who jumped into the new legal market hoping to make a killing in cannabis are now getting killed by a glut of product. "There… Read More→
New in Seattle: Easy, Convienent Marijuana Vending Machines February 4, 2015 John Hollon Washington 0 Comments SEATTLE — Seattle residents can now purchase cannabis the same way they buy soda and snacks – right out of a vending machine. Well, maybe not quite the same. First they need to enter a medical marijuana dispensary and show… Read More→
Washington Medical-Marijuana Patients Deserve a Safe, Affordable, Regulated System January 20, 2015 John Hollon Policy & Legal, Washington 0 Comments As the Legislature moves this session to address the unregulated medical-marijuana market, all parties must agree on a common objective: safe, affordable patient access. While stakeholder concerns should be considered, they must be scrutinized and remain secondary to patient interests.… Read More→
A Recipe for Mixing Medical and Recreational Marijuana in Washington November 26, 2014 Rob Meagher Cultivation, Retail, Washington 0 Comments Last month I noted that marijuana legalization in Washington state has been hampered by the decision to create a new industry from scratch instead of building on the cannabusinesses that have been serving patients there for years. Last week state… Read More→
Washington’s first pot auction brings in $600,000 November 17, 2014 Rob Meagher Cultivation, Washington 0 Comments PROSSER, Wash. — Washington state's first marijuana auction brought in about $600,000. Fireweed Farms of Prosser sold about 300 pounds of pot to state-licensed processors and retailers Saturday, the Tri-City Herald reported (http://is.gd/JsJp6T ). Bidding took place under a black… Read More→
Washington Retail Marijuana Sales Total Nearly $4 Million in First Month August 12, 2014 Rob Meagher Policy & Legal, Washington OLYMPIA, WA — Washington state-licensed marijuana retailers sold an estimated $3.8 million in cannabis products in July, the first month during which such sales were allowed under state law. The sales are estimated to have already generated more than $1… Read More→
Wash. begins sales of edible marijuana products August 6, 2014 Rob Meagher Policy & Legal, Washington Pot brownies were not on the menu Wednesday night but a number of other approved foods and beverages were as Washington became only the second state to permit sales of recreational marijuana edibles. Regulators have approved several kinds of edibles,… Read More→
Seattleites: Good Luck Finding Legal Pot To Buy August 4, 2014 Rob Meagher Policy & Legal, Washington Michael Gordon of Kush Tourism, at a glass-blowing studio that is a favorite stop for his tour groups. After the hoopla settled down after the grand opening of Seattle’s first state-licensed retail marijuana store in July, pot aficionados found that… Read More→
Some pot producers forced to ‘start from scratch’ July 21, 2014 Rob Meagher Policy & Legal, Washington SEATTLE -- What’s the difference between medical marijuana and recreational? Absolutely nothing – unless you’re the state of Washington. Medical pot producers planning to sell recreationally are being forced to shut down their businesses and start all over to keep… Read More→
Dazed and confused in Seattle’s medical marijuana business July 20, 2014 Rob Meagher Policy & Legal, Washington In Seattle, a host of medical dispensaries are living in a legal grey area. What will lawmakers do with them? Selling juice. That's Adam Bligh's backup plan if the city tells him to shut down his medical marijuana dispensary. Bligh opened… Read More→
Licensed pot grow sites pass halfway mark July 19, 2014 Rob Meagher Policy & Legal, Washington WALLA WALLA — The state’s nascent recreational marijuana industry appears to have passed a milestone last week. The square footage for licensed grow operations went past the 1 million mark, according to information from the Washington state Liquor Control Board.… Read More→