Washington State Could Allow Home Cultivation Soon
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]mong all the states that have legalized recreational cannabis, Washington is the only state that does not allow people to grow the plant at home.
It’s been a while that cannabis activists have been pushing for home cultivation rights…in vain. There are now bipartisan companion bills in session in the Washington State House and Senate to get the proposal through. The proposal is similar to what other states have done—it allows anyone over 21 years old to grow up to six plants at home, with a maximum of 15 plants in shared homes, with no tracking or permitting required
MYNorthwest reports that the ball is now rolling for home cultivation in the state. “This bill is for responsible adults—we’re not talking about people who want to exceed the law for nefarious purposes,” activist Don Skakie stated. “I submit that it will improve the marketplace, similar to how the homebrew movement has created a robust microbrew industry in our fine state,” activist John Kingsbury said.
Some people like Chris Thompson with the Liquor and Cannabis Board, voiced concerns about federal intervention, and home grows providing cover for illicit activities. “We anticipate there would be complaints—we do not have the resources to exercise enforcement in this area,” he noted.
Though Steve Strahan with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs wasn’t worried about home grows, he did voice other concerns. “It’s about enforcement in a permissive environment,” he said. “And does this make large scale illicit marijuana grows? And does it make low level drug-dealing even more difficult to investigate and prosecute?”
The state patrol had similar concerns and pointed out the challenges that they would face to enforce the six-plant limit.
The legislation would also come with other restrictions—landlords would have the authority to prohibit home grows in their buildings, and no grower would be permitted to sell the cannabis they grow.
Among the states that currently allow home grow operations include Alaska, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii and Maine.
