Friday, 29 January 2016

Lawmakers push for home cultivation of marijuana

Author: Brittany Paris,

SPOKANE, Wash. -
You might soon be able to grow your own recreational marijuana at home if a new bill is passed.

Rep. Brian Blake is sponsoring House Bill 2629, The Adult Home Grow & Criminal Reduction Bill. It would allow adults to grow a limited number of marijuana plants for personal use.

“This bill is about consistency, congruency and especially, freedom,” Blake said in a press release. “Adults in our state can brew their own beer and make their own wine for personal consumption. Just like alcohol, marijuana can be used safely and responsibly, so it makes sense to allow adults to home grow their own if they want to.”

The bill would allow people to give away small amounts of marijuana as long as they don’t accept any money for it. It would legalize the cultivation of up to six cannabis plants per household, regardless of the number of people living there. You’d be able to harvest up to 24 oz. of marijuana from the home grown plants. The bill would also make the possession of up to three times the current legal limit for cannabis a civil infraction rather than a felony offense.

Under current Washington State law, growing any amount of marijuana is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Local recreational marijuana shops said home grow is part of the future of the industry. Satori’s general manager, Daniel Wendling, said it could provide more opportunities for his store.

“I feel like most folks that shop with us probably aren’t going to have the time or ability to grow cannabis at home because it’s not all that super simple to do,” Wendling said. “I do feel there’s always openings for the future for us. Maybe if they do allow this, maybe in the future, we could sell seeds or clones, something like that that might honestly be an added sale thing for us.”

If passed, the bill would put Washington in line with Oregon and Colorado, which allow cultivating cannabis for personal use.

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