Marijuana Laws
Washington Marijuana Laws Made Easy for You
April 17, 2018 - Marijuana Laws
Washington: Officially Legal to Get as High as the Space Needle
In 2012, Washington voted to become one of the first states, along with Colorado, to legalize recreational marijuana and to create a commercial market for it. As of 2014, the first dispensaries opened, which means you can walk right in and pick up any cool products you might be looking for. One weird aspect of Washington’s legalization, however, is that cultivation is only legal if it’s licensed by the state to be part of commercial distribution, or if it’s for medical use.
Washington marijuana laws have a weird history because when medical marijuana in Washington became legal, there was no explicit clearance for dispensaries. Despite this, dispensaries did open, but in 2011, they were all ordered to close – despite a lack of previous law enforcement acknowledgment – which resulted in raids and arrests. Is marijuana legal in Washington? Yes – but as far as sales go, only recreationally, it would seem.
Current Legal Status in Washington
- Medical Marijuana in Washington: Legal to possess
- Recreational Washington Marijuana Laws: Legal since 2012
- Policy group(s) active in state: The WA Cannabis Summit, Washington NORML
- Politician(s) leading legislative reform: Pete Holmes
- Top brand(s) based in state: Sensi Sweets, Cheffettes
- Tax revenue generated by legalization of recreational marijuana in the first year: $70 million
As of now, the main fight for Washington marijuana laws is to allow recreational home growing. Pete Holmes, who originally supported the recreational legalization, is all about allowing home grow to go beyond just medical marijuana in Washington.
You can buy cannabis products to your heart’s content in Washington, but recreational growing is still a no-no, so check out where else you can purchase, by looking at all US marijuana laws here!