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Patients feel afraid for their legal status.
Sign-in PRO today.
- Go to: https://app.leg.wa.gov/CSI/House
- Select for Committee: Regulated Substances and Gaming
- Select for Meetings: 1/31/2023 @ 4:00p
- Select radial button for HB 1563 – Concerning arrest protections for the medical use of cannabis
- Select “I would like my position noted for the legislative record”
- Fill in form making sure to select Pro
- Submit
Currently under Washington state law, authorized patients are only afforded affirmative defense if they come into contact with law enforcement. This means that the burden of proof is on the patient to prove that they are acting within the law rather than that burden resting on the shoulders of the state.
Patients are given additional allowances when they complete the multi-step process of securing an authorization, such as slightly higher holding limits and the ability to grow a few plants at home. These allowances are due to the medical needs of patients to maintain therapeutic use of cannabis, but many patients “make due” with less.
Without arrest protection, a patient is at greater risk for arrest than an adult purchasing adult-use cannabis from a recreational store.