Editor's Note: For background and more information on Washington's legalized medical and recreational marijuana markets, as well as the questions regarding the fate of the state's medical marijuana program, check out: "Washington's Bumpy Start Selling Pot Was a 'Dress Rehearsal'; Now It's Ready for the Big Time"–an in-depth interview with NORML Washington's Kevin Oliver.
The future of Washington State’s medical marijuana may depend on one rich man and the legislators who support him.
In November 2012, as part of a statewide referendum known as Initiative 502, voters in Washington, by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent, approved the creation of a legal recreational-marijuana market served by growers, processors, and retail shops. However, the referendum was silent on the treatment of medical marijuana.
