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Washington is one of five states where cannabis is legal but you can’t grow your own.
Last week in Green Zone, we covered how the state Legislature was considering a bill that would allow Washingonians to grow their own cannabis.
A week later, that effort is as good as dead.
House Bill 2194 died in committee. Lawmakers won’t even take it to the floor for a full vote. As far as our legislators are concerned, the issue of allowing Washingtonians to grow their own cannabis doesn’t deserve so much as a vote in Olympia.
So growing your own cannabis remains a Class C felony, despite the fact that Washington otherwise acts as a bulwark in U.S. cannabis policy.
Washington, the originator of legal cannabis, is now well behind the curve. Along with Coloradans, Washington voters approved legalization on Election Day 2012. We were once groundbreakers. Washington is no longer on the cutting edge, we’re behind the times.
We’re stuck in the mud.
As one of the first two states to allow legalization, Washington was rightfully conservative in its approach to cannabis. Colorado beat Washington to the punch, allowing legal sales six months before Washington. We took our time. And it’s worked.
Washington has built one of the best cannabis marketplaces in the legal world. The illicit market is effectively gone and the state makes millions of dollars in tax revenue from the legal cannabis market. Washingtonians can and do buy cannabis at state-regulated dispensaries.
There is no good reason that a responsible citizen should not be able to grow their own cannabis. But in Washington, you can’t. Washington is one of just five states where cannabis is legal in which you can’t grow your own. (Twenty-four states have legalized recreational cannabis.)
Our state does not need to be this protective of its cannabis market anymore. Among states that allow cannabis, home grow is legal almost everywhere but Washington. It’s a shame that is a fact, and it’s a stain on every legislator who allowed HB 2194 to fail.
In 2012, this kind of protectionism made sense. Back then, Washington was flying in the face of federal policy.
It is now 2024. Washington is no longer on the cutting edge. Washington is behind the times in this regard. We had a chance to move forward with HB 2194, but our lawmakers gave up. It is on them for allowing us to fall so far behind.
