The Millionaire Who Wants to Control Washington’s Weed

February 3, 2015

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 PotÂ 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.

The state of Washington’s legal marijuana market is at a major crossroads, with its fate to be determined by pending legislation that seeks to address a conflict in the system.In the big picture, the choices to be made along the path ahead boil down to a struggle between business and patient interests. The pending legislation at the heart of the issue seeks to bring Washington’s largely unregulated medical-marijuana market under the rubric of state oversight.

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.