On August 25, 2008, the Washington State Department of Health will hold a final hearing on new rules intended to help clarify our state's medical marijuana law. Unfortunately, key elements of their proposed rules contradict basic horticultural science, and the rules as proposed threaten to considerably undermine our medical marijuana law.
It is imperative that all concerned citizens throughout the state of Washington attend this rally and public hearing. The hearing will be held at the Department of Health offices in Tumwater, at 310 Israel Road SE. at 11 a.m. on Monday, August 25, 2008. The rally starts at 10 a.m., so show up early with coffee and a smile. More information is available at www.doh.wa.gov or on our web site, cdc.coop.
The CDC has a few serious concerns about the new rules:
- The definition of a "mature" plant as any plant that reaches twelve inches in height is neither reasonable, nor grounded in science.
- The new rules as written are absolute upper bounds, not "presumptive amounts" as mandated by SB-6032. If a patient has more than the presumptive amount, the new rules require a doctor to state the amount of marijuana required by that patient. This is illegal under the federal Conant v. Walters case, and doctors risk losing their federal licenses if they abide by this state requirement. This will have a disastrous effect on the legality of medical marijuana in Washington State.
- That the limit of six "mature plants" -- is too low. Cannabis typically takes 8 or more weeks to mature once blooming is triggered. Most patients produce 1-2 ounces per plant, or 6-12 ounces for their 60-day supply. Blooming at twelve inches will decrease yield to under half an ounce per plant, or less than 3 ounces for a sixty day supply.
These numbers are far less than the 24 ounces of dried medicine allowed for under the new rules. In short, the new rules do not honestly take into account the real world mathematics of marijuana growing, let alone the non-scientific, arbitrary limit on plant height written into the rules at the request of Governor Chris Gregoire.
The new rules can be seen at:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/medical-marijuana/
See also:
Project balance sheet
As of August 25, 2008, these are the realized costs of this project:
| Cost |
Explanation |
| $351.00 |
Flyers - x15,000 |
| $388.00 |
Posters - x3,000 |
| $910.15 |
Hand-screened Posters - x500 |
| $200.00 |
Artist |
| $240.00 |
Little Nickel classified ad |
| $13.50 |
Postage |
As of August 25, 2008, these are the in-kind and cash contributions received from this project:
| Income |
Explanation |
| $351.00 |
Donation, member - Flyers |
| $388.00 |
Donation, member - Posters |
| $910.15 |
Donation, member - Hand-screened Posters |
| $200.00 |
Donation, member - Artist |
| $240.00 |
Donation, member - Little Nickel classified ad |
| $13.50 |
Donation, member - Postage |
As of August 25, 2008, current project balance is $2102.65- $2102.65 = $0.00.
As of August 25, 2008, the estimated volunteer labor contributed to this project is 40 hours.
