In November 1998 the voters of Washington State approved Initiative 692, the Washington Medical Use of Marijuana Act. The non-specific provisions of the Initiative could lead to contentious court battles, inconsistent enforcement, and unclear messages to youth concerning the use of marijuana. This paper is an attempt to describe the issues and propose solutions to avoid implementation problems.

Report: The Washington Medical Use of Marijuana Act.

Full Text

In 1996 the Washington State Legislature allocated $70,000 for a study at Washington State University to explore the feasibility of producing marijuana for medicinal use.  The summary recommendations, Tamper Free Production of Marijuana for Medicinal Uses, were published on February 5, 1997.

"The study will include specific plans for growing marijuana in Washington.   Researchers suggest a 5-acre farm, costing $1.5 million, with guard towers, electronic surveillance and double fences to guard the crop.  It would cost about $500,000 a year to protect the crop and make sure it is not used by healthy people who want to get high." (Medical marijuana studied at WSU, Seattle Times, December 2, 1996)

"...Mahmoud M. Abdel-Monem, Ph.D., the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, directed a study to examine alternative strategies for securing a legal, safe, and reliable supply for marijuana cigarettes for use in scientific clinical studies." (Tamper Free Production of Marijuana for Medicinal Uses, February 5, 1997)

"The advantages of establishing a state run operation include the state's control over supply and the potential for expanding production to supply other states.  The disadvantages include high start-up costs and high recurring costs regardless of the amount of marijuana required for clinical studies and beyond.  If initial clinical studies do not support the continued use of marijuana for medical purpsoes, the State would have a useless facility." (Tamper Free Production of Marijuana for Medicinal Uses, February 5, 1997)