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News about the legal Washington State industry & public concerns.

Marr speaks out on lawmakers efforts to deal with medical marijuana program

Law makers in Olympia are hoping to find a way to bring the grey-area medical marijuana dispensaries into the current legal recreational system. Outgoing liquor control board member Chris Marr is offering his opinion on some aspects of what needs to be done.

Lawmakers face a dilemma : An untaxed  medical market is running in the state, while  a tightly regulated recreational market is running at the same time. Some legal producers wonder how they can compete with an unregulated market , while others worry that regulating the medical marijuana market, will make patients have to pay much more for medicine that will be taxed.

Outgoing member of the Liquor Control Board, Chris Marr says he believes there are recreational users who frequent the medical pot stores, and who may or may not have a medical marijuana card. But he says he believes the system could be folded into the legitimate system, and much more affordable medicine be made available for those who truly need it.

Marr: "I'm of the opinion that if you could push out people who are recreational users, you could give significant tax relief to medical users, if fact I even suggest the number is large enough that you could give that drug away to these legitimate medical users.”

Marr says he also believes allowing medical patients to continue to grow their own is a concept that the legislature should not overturn.

Marr: “In rural areas, folks that have a legitimate medical need don’t have access to stores, you know there are wide swaths of Washington that don’t have because they have been banned or otherwise, areas like ferry, Stevens, pend Oreille county, but there should be an allowance for personal grow.”

Marr hopes that whatever system the legislature can agree on for medical marijuana, that it will protect patients with stringent testing, labeling and quality control regulations. An the outlets authorized to sell medical cannabis will be staffed by highly trained individuals who are knowledgeable about existing research.

Steve was part of the Spokane Public Radio family for many years before he came on air in 1999. His wife, Laurie, produced Radio Ethiopia in the late 1980s through the '90s, and Steve used to “lurk in the shadowy world” of Weekend SPR. Steve has done various on air shifts at the station, including nearly 15 years as the local Morning Edition host. Currently, he is the voice of local weather and news during All Things Considerd, writing, editing, producing and/or delivering newscasts and features for both KPBX and KSFC. Aside from SPR, Steve ,who lives in the country, enjoys gardening, chickens, playing and listening to music, astronomy, photography, sports cars and camping.
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