Medical marijuana

Medical marijuana patient, denied custody of daughter, sues state agency after she contracts serious illness in foster care.

OLYMPIA -- Washington will likely increase the number of retail marijuana stores to 556, to handle the demand for medical marijuana licenses.

OLYMPIA -- Washington will likely increase the number of retail marijuana stores to 556, to handle the demand for medical marijuana licenses.

State Liquor and Cannabis Board will be at Spokane Convention Center Tuesday night.

After veto, Idaho moves to allow 25 sick kids access to cannabis-derived drug

OLYMPIA -- The state Liquor Control Board officially becomes the Liquor and Cannabis Board today.

OLYMPIA – Washington voters won’t be asked this fall if they want to keep changes made this spring to the state’s medical marijuana laws. Organizers of a petition drive to place a referendum of the new law on the ballot won’t be turning in signatures by this week’s deadline, the secretary of state’s office said Monday.

OLYMPIA -- An effort to give voters a chance to reject changes to the state's medical marijuana laws has failed. Supporters of a referendum to put it on the November ballot have told state officials they won't be turning in signatures.

OLYMPIA – Changes to the state’s marijuana taxes and the way they will be spent received final approval from the Senate and were sent to Gov. Jay Inslee Saturday. After rejecting a proposal that would allow communities that ban marijuana to share some of the state’s revenue from the heavily taxed substance, the Senate voted 36-7 to approve the changes. The bill substitutes the current 25 percent excise tax on marijuana on the three levels of licensing – growing, processing and retail – for a 37 percent excise tax collected by the retailer. Recreational marijuana also will carry a 10 percent sales tax. That tax will be waived for medical marijuana.

OLYMPIA – Medical marijuana patients would pay many of the same taxes as recreational pot users under a bill approved Friday by the House. On a 59-38 vote, the House passed major revisions to Washington’s rapidly evolving marijuana laws, even though some lawmakers argued the rates were too high and the state is expecting to collect far too much in tax revenue by projecting sales that amount to nearly 1 ounce of marijuana for each of the state’s residents.

Members of a family who grew medical marijuana on their farm near Kettle Falls will wait until October to learn whether they will spend time in federal prison. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas O. Rice on Thursday approved a delay of the sentencing hearing for Rhonda Lee Firestack-Harvey, Rolland Gregg, Michelle Gregg and Jason Zucker. The hearing had originally been scheduled for next week in Spokane.

OLYMPIA – A few hours before the gavel came down on the regular session, Gov. Jay Inslee signed one of the most-discussed laws, one that brings medical marijuana under much of the same state control and oversight as the newer recreational pot system. Patients will have an optional registry, which will get them a state card and allow them to avoid some taxes. They’ll be able to grow their own supplies, join small grower cooperatives and buy tested products at state stores.