Washington Governor Jay Inslee said it’s time for the “Wild West” days of medical marijuana to come to an end.
The Democrat praised lawmakers Monday for sending him a measure to regulate the industry. Inslee also tried to reassure patients who worry about a spike in prices and a shortage of medical grade cannabis.
“There’s no effort to prevent those people from having their legitimate health needs taken care of and I think this bill, by and large, allows that to happen,” he said.
Inslee did hint that he might make some line-item vetoes.
Generally, the measure would roll the state’s unregulated medical marijuana system into the highly regulated recreational pot market. Dispensaries and collective gardens would go away and patients would have to join a state registry to receive tax breaks and other protections under the law.
