Washington state is looking at a major overhaul of its medical marijuana system, to avoid competition with the recreational market and to avert any crackdowns from the federal government.
The state's Liquor Control Board on Wednesday approved its final recommendations to the Legislature about how it believes the largely unregulated medical system can be brought under the umbrella of Initiative 502.
The recommendations call for eliminating collective gardens, creating a mandatory registry of marijuana patients, drastically reducing how much cannabis patients can have, and requiring medical marijuana to be subject to the same high excise taxes as recreational pot — though patients would be exempt from paying sales taxes.
In one change from an early draft, the board is not recommending that home grows by patients or their providers be banned. Instead, the board is calling for them to be allowed to grow six plants.
