Marijuana Policy Project

On Thursday, May 21, The Forum at the Library, in conjunction with the Vancouver Community Library, is hosting a public forum on laws, policies and practices regarding marijuana. Panelists include The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State (ACLU-W) Director of Drug Policy Alison Holcomb, Clark County Sheriff’s Sergeant Tony Barnes and Washington State Planning and Policy Specialist Glenn Baldwin.

Topics at the forum will include the possibility of reclassification of marijuana policy to save money, improve public health, protect civil liberties and simplify addiction treatment, forum organizers said.

With President Barack Obama stating his administration will stop raids on marijuana dispensaries, advocates for safe access to medical marijuana around the country are hoping for change. While community-supported marijuana cooperatives seem like a pipe dream to some, we may not be too far from seeing such a thing, said Holcomb.

“I think what we’re seeing now is a movement forward in a lot of places across the county,” Holcomb said. “Washington has been a leader in that aspect.”

Medical Marijuana has been legal in the state of Washington for over a decade. In 2008, the state legislature passed a bill (6032) that cleared up the law, changing the vague 60-day supply limit to a limit of 15 plants and 24 ounces of dried, processed medicine. At that time, the legislature asked the Department of Health to form a report on providing safe, adequate medicine to qualified patients. The report discussed the benefits of having open cooperatives in the community, Holcomb said.

Few people know more about marijuana policy than Elisa Clark, founder of Pacific NW Compassionate Care (PNWCC) in Vancouver. PNWCC’s goal is to open a medical marijuana cooperative shop in Vancouver.

“I have people coming out of the woodwork asking me how they can get medial marijuana,” Clark said.

Clark points out there is a difference between her planned cooperative and a dispensary. In her eyes, the PNWCC cooperative would be more than a place to get marijuana. It would be part of the community. She envisions a private shop that provides education and meeting facilities, takes care of its patients in a variety of ways and gives back to the community via community service and tax dollars.

“There are a lot of patients out there who are very ill, can’t eat, have needy children or don’t have the bare necessities. The co-op would be another avenue of outreach for people in need,” Clark said, adding that services like hospice nursing and doctor visits could also be offered.

The forum will be on at Clark Public Utilities, 1200 Fort Vancouver Way, in the Community Room from 7 to 8:30 p.m.