State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson introduced legislation yesterday that would allow adults 21 and over to legally use cannabis and could generate $400 million of new revenue for the state by regulating the production, distribution and sale of marijuana in Washington.

Currently, only certain medical patients are allowed to posses medical marijuana. The medical marijuana law, Chapter 69.51A RCW, allows people with proper authorization from a doctor to grow up to 15 plants at their home and posses 24 ounces of dry marijuana at a time. It is also legal to dedicate a certain person to grow and provide for the marijuana for them or obtain it at a licensed dispensary.

Ballard has two medical marijuana dispensaries, the Ballard Herbal Collective and the Seattle Cannabis Co-op.

Dickerson's House Bill 1550 would legalize the use of cannabis for adults age 21 and over and create a framework to sell cannabis through state liquor stores, with commercial growers applying for a license through the Liquor Control Board.

In 2010, Dickerson submitted a similar bill, HB 2401, which went nowhere. Dickerson said her proposal improves on the previous bill.

“We listened to the concerns of law enforcement, medical marijuana patients and others and made several important improvements,” said Dickerson. “Our new bill includes provisions for industrial hemp and allows the cultivation of cannabis for personal use, similar to home brewing and wine making.”

Dickerson’s measure could raise an estimated $400 million each biennium through cannabis sales and licensing fees. The measure would dedicate 77 percent of the revenues raised to health care and 20 percent to substance abuse and treatment, at a time when these services are facing massive budget reductions due to the state budget crisis.

“Subjecting cannabis to a licensed, regulated system would not only improve public health and safety, it would generate hundreds of millions of dollars for health care at a time when Washington’s budget is being decimated,” said Dr. William Robertson, founder of the Washington Poison Control Center.

Many experts believe Dickerson’s measure represents a smarter approach to cannabis control.
 
“This proposal will free up millions of dollars to prosecute violent criminals who impact society in a much more significant way than cannabis users,” Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes said.
 
More than $10 million is spent in Washington each year to arrest, prosecute and incarcerate cannabis users.

Dickerson’s measure calls for cannabis to be regulated by the state Liquor Control Board, which has a 96 percent success rate in preventing alcohol sales to minors.
 
“Drug cartels and black-market dealers have made it easier for kids to get cannabis than alcohol,” Dickerson said.

“The Liquor Control Board has a proven track record of shielding kids from its products. I’m confident our bill will break the back of cannabis crime-syndicate profits and make it possible to preserve vital health services across Washington in these very difficult budget times.”