MOUNTLAKE TERRACE
Mountlake Terrace police have forwarded to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office the case of a woman who was growing marijuana at home for what she claimed are strictly personal medical reasons.
Officers responded to an anonymous tip Jan. 24 that someone was growing marijuana at a house in the 23000 block of 46th Avenue West.
They spoke to the resident, 51, who showed them where she’d been cultivating the plants inside her house. She said she never sold marijuana but used the substance to help her cope with glaucoma, a condition of the eye, and other medical issues.
She told officers she donates extra low-quality plants to a Seattle organization — Emerald Cross — that helps people who use marijuana to treat medical conditions. She also said if she could find a doctor willing to prescribe marijuana to her, she wouldn’t have to grow it.
Federal law prohibits the personal use or cultivation of marijuana for any reason, but some states, including Washington, have passed laws that protect people with certain terminal or debilitating medical conditions from prosecution.
In 1998, Washington voters approved Initiative 692, the Medical Use of Marijuana Act, and former Gov. Gary Locke signed it into law.
The law allows physicians to recommend marijuana to patients and protects from prosecution doctors who discuss the drug and its pros and cons with patients, according to the ACLU of Washington.
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