VETO MESSAGE ON E2SSB 5073

April 29, 2011

To the Honorable President and Members,
The Senate of the State of Washington

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am returning herewith, without my approval as to Sections 101, 201, 407, 410, 411, 412, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 611, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 901, 902, 1104, 1201, 1202, 1203 and 1206, Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073 entitled:

"AN ACT Relating to medical use of cannabis."

In 1998, Washington voters made the compassionate choice to remove the fear of state criminal prosecution for patients who use medical marijuana for debilitating or terminal conditions. The voters also provided patients' physicians and caregivers with defenses to state law prosecutions.

I fully support the purpose of Initiative 692, and in 2007, I signed legislation that expanded the ability of a patient to receive assistance from a designated provider in the medical use of marijuana, and added conditions and diseases for which medical marijuana could be used.

Today, I have signed sections of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073 that retain the provisions of Initiative 692 and provide additional state law protections. Qualifying patients or their designated providers may grow cannabis for the patient's use or participate in a collective garden without fear of state law criminal prosecutions. Qualifying patients or their designated providers are also protected from certain state civil law consequences.

Our state legislature may remove state criminal and civil penalties for activities that assist persons suffering from debilitating or terminal conditions. While such activities may violate the federal Controlled Substances Act, states are not required to enforce federal law or prosecute people for engaging in activities prohibited by federal law. However, absent congressional action, state laws will not protect an individual from legal action by the federal government.

Qualifying patients and designated providers can evaluate the risk of federal prosecution and make choices for themselves on whether to use or assist another in using medical marijuana. The United States Department of Justice has made the wise decision not to use federal resources to prosecute seriously ill patients who use medical marijuana.

However, the sections in Part VI, Part VII, and Part VIII of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073 would direct employees of the state departments of Health and Agriculture to authorize and license commercial businesses that produce, process or dispense cannabis. These sections would open public employees to federal prosecution, and the United States Attorneys have made it clear that state law would not provide these individuals safe harbor from federal prosecution. No state employee should be required to violate federal criminal law in order to fulfill duties under state law. For these reasons, I have vetoed Sections 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 611, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806 and 807 of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073.

In addition, there are a number of sections of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073 that are associated with or dependent upon these licensing sections. Section 201 sets forth definitions of terms. Section 412 adds protections for licensed producers, processors and dispensers. Section 901 requires the Department of Health to develop a secure registration system for licensed producers, processors and dispensers. Section 1104 would require a review of the necessity of the cannabis production and dispensing system if the federal government were to authorize the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Section 1201 applies to dispensaries in current operation in the interim before licensure, and Section 1202 exempts documents filed under Section 1201 from disclosure. Section 1203 requires the department of health to report certain information related to implementation of the vetoed sections. Because I have vetoed the licensing provisions, I have also vetoed Sections 201, 412, 901, 1104, 1201, 1202 and 1203 of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073.

Section 410 would require owners of housing to allow the use of medical cannabis on their property, putting them in potential conflict with federal law. For this reason, I have vetoed Section 410 of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073.

Section 407 would permit a nonresident to engage in the medical use of cannabis using documentation or authorization issued under other state or territorial laws. This section would not require these other state or territorial laws to meet the same standards for health care professional authorization as required by Washington law. For this reason, I have vetoed Section 407 of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073.

Section 411 would provide that a court may permit the medical use of cannabis by an offender, and exclude it as a ground for finding that the offender has violated the conditions or requirements of the sentence, deferred prosecution, stipulated order of continuance, deferred disposition or dispositional order. The correction agency or department responsible for the person's supervision is in the best position to evaluate an individual's circumstances and medical use of cannabis. For this reason, I have vetoed Section 411 of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073.

I am approving Section 1002, which authorizes studies and medical guidelines on the appropriate administration and use of cannabis. Section 1206 would make Section 1002 effective January 1, 2013. I have vetoed Section 1206 to provide the discretion to begin efforts at an earlier date.

Section 1102 sets forth local governments' authority pertaining to the production, processing or dispensing of cannabis or cannabis products within their jurisdictions. The provisions in Section 1102 that local governments' zoning requirements cannot "preclude the possibility of siting licensed dispensers within the jurisdiction" are without meaning in light of the vetoes of sections providing for such licensed dispensers. It is with this understanding that I approve Section 1102.

I have been open, and remain open, to legislation to exempt qualifying patients and their designated providers from state criminal penalties when they join in nonprofit cooperative organizations to share responsibility for producing, processing and dispensing cannabis for medical use. Such exemption from state criminal penalties should be conditioned on compliance with local government location and health and safety specifications.

I am also open to legislation that establishes a secure and confidential registration system to provide arrest and seizure protections under state law to qualifying patients and those who assist them. Unfortunately, the provisions of Section 901 that would provide a registry for qualifying patients and designated providers beginning in January 2013 are intertwined with requirements for registration of licensed commercial producers, processors and dispensers of cannabis. Consequently, I have vetoed section 901 as noted above. Section 101 sets forth the purpose of the registry, and Section 902 is contingent on the registry. Without a registry, these sections are not meaningful. For this reason, I have vetoed Sections 101 and 902 of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073. I am not vetoing Sections 402 or 406, which establish affirmative defenses for a qualifying patient or designated provider who is not registered with the registry established in section 901. Because these sections govern those who have not registered, this section is meaningful even though section 901 has been vetoed.

With the exception of Sections 101, 201, 407, 410, 411, 412, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 611, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 901, 902, 1104, 1201, 1202, 1203 and 1206, Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073 is approved.

Respectfully submitted,
Christine Gregoire
Governor