Seattle Times Calls For Medical Marijuana Dispensaries-"Our Law Is Unfairly Restrictive"

[kpete]

Washington state's medical-marijuana law is too restrictive

Washington's medical-marijuana law is too restrictive.
The state should allow dispensaries selling to physician-approved patients.

WASHINGTON'S medical-marijuana law was advertised as humane and tolerant in the 1990s, when this state legalized cannabis as medicine, along with California, Oregon, Alaska and Maine. Now most of the states in the West allow it — and Washington falls behind. Our law is unfairly restrictive.

In January, the Washington Supreme Court ruled in State v. Fry that our law offers medical users no protection from search, seizure and arrest. The court said the immunity is from penalty only. The medical-marijuana user, the court said, has still "committed a criminal act, but pleads an excuse for doing so."

This needs to be changed. People with a doctor's OK should be able to use marijuana without having their doors kicked in. They are patients, not criminals. This is the rule of tolerance Washington voters thought they were approving 12 years ago, and it has now become a civilized minimum.

Washington's law allows patients to grow marijuana for themselves or for one other person.

more:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorials/2011444220_edit26marijuana.html