Other Languages FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Following their statements earlier today, Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Governor Jay Inslee offer two examples of misleading information in U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ letter dated July 24:
- From the letter’s first bullet: “The medical market for (for marijuana) is considered ‘grey’ due to the lack of regulation and oversight and furthermore, aspects of Washington’s regulatory structure for the ‘medical market’ have unintentionally led to the growth of the black market enterprises.”
- Response: This information pre-dates Washington state’s 2015 Cannabis Patient Protection Act, bringing the medical marijuana market under the same robust regulatory system as recreational marijuana. Washington’s Liquor and Cannabis Board verified all unlicensed storefronts were closed July 1, 2016.
- Response: This information pre-dates Washington state’s 2015 Cannabis Patient Protection Act, bringing the medical marijuana market under the same robust regulatory system as recreational marijuana. Washington’s Liquor and Cannabis Board verified all unlicensed storefronts were closed July 1, 2016.
- Also from the letter: “In 2014 alone, 17 THC extraction labs exploded”
- Response: In three years of legalization, no licensed extraction business has exploded. The incidents referred to in Sessions’ letter were black or gray market facilities, often using butane in an enclosed space rather than a lab.
The state will have a more complete response with additional details in the coming days.
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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.
Contacts:
Brionna Aho, Interim Communications Director, (360) 753-2727; brionna.aho@atg.wa.gov