Today's Seattle Times features an article by health reporter Carol M. Ostrom about Washington Governor Christine Gregoire's reaction to a state Health Department proposal that would allow medical marijuana patients to have more than 2 pounds of marijuana every two months.
Washington law allows patients with certain chronic, fatal, or debilitating diseases to possess a 60-day supply of marijuana with a doctor's authorization. However, just how much marijuana constitutes a "60-day supply" is a question that has never been adequately answered. Faced with a legislative mandate to finally spell that out, the Health Department made a recommendation to the Governor's office: Patients or caregivers could possess up to 35 ounces (over 2 pounds) of cultivated marijuana and be allowed a plant-growing area of 100 square feet.
Gregoire, believing the input that led to this decision was too one-sided (it came primarily from patients), directed Department of Health Secretary Mary Selecky to solicit more information from law enforcement and medical providers and come up with a new figure.
