# New bill to expand medical marijuana law in Washington State



## FruityBud (Mar 13, 2010)

As marijuana legalization efforts continue all across the country, Washington State is quietly expanding its existing medical cannabis laws.

Governor Christine Gregoire has indicated she will sign SB 5798, which will allow naturopathic doctors, nurse practitioners, and physicians' assistants to recommend the medical use of cannabis to their patients  in essence, to write a prescription for medical marijuana.

The changes to the state's laws are minor, but will likely increase the number of legitimate medical cannabis users in the state.

The new law will increase patient access to health care professionals willing to authorize medical cannabis.

Because of the conflict between state and federal marijuana laws, many doctors fear retribution and are reluctant to sign medical cannabis paperwork. To comply with the law, many qualifying patients are forced to travel and pay $200 to see a doctor willing to sign a medical marijuana authorization form.

The bill also requires all medical marijuana recommendations ("the doctor's note") to be printed on tamper-resistant paper, a sort of anti-counterfeiting measure. As it stands, Washington State medical marijuana recommendations are merely notarized pieces of paper.

The bill passed the legislature after lobbying from the Cannabis Defense Coalition, a group. Their spokesperson summed up the new medical marijuana bill perfectly:

"Cannabis is an effective, safe and natural medicine. Patients with symptoms relieved by medical cannabis deserve the protection of our law, whether they see a regular doctor or a naturopathic physician. This bill will help increase access to this therapeutic, plant-based medicine."

*hxxp://tinyurl.com/ydrdn42*


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