The new year will start off with Washington State lawmakers weighing whether or not to allow the state’s residents to grow cannabis at home.

Earlier this month a bipartisan bill was introduced that would allow adults 21 and over to grow up to six marijuana plants at home and to keep any marijuana products produced by those plants. No single household will be able to grow more than 15 plants total.

The plants would also need to be clearly marked with the grower’s name, address and date of birth, as well as when they were planted. Growers would not need to register with the state or obtain any special license.

Landlords could forbid renters or lessees from growing the plant on their property under the new bill, and all plants would need to be out of “the ordinary public view.”

According to bill HB 1019’s sponsor Shelley Kloba (D), the measure will at least get a vote in the committee she chairs. Kloba and Rep. Drew MacEwen (R) had introduced the bill last week.

Rep. Brian Blake (D), who previously sponsored a similar bill, is no longer in office. “With him leaving the legislature in January, I did not want his efforts to go to waste,” Kloba told Marijuana Moment. “I wanted to make sure this bill was introduced and heard.”

“As one of the first states to legalize cannabis, I understand that some tradeoffs were made to garner support for the initiative,” Kloba said. “Now that the industry has matured, and the public has experienced legalized cannabis in practice rather [than] just in theory, it seems as though prohibiting homegrow is an antiquated policy.”
Lawmakers are set to take up the new legislation when the new legislative session begins in mid-January. Kloba said the bill “will almost certainly be referred to the Commerce and Gaming Committee.”

“I am confident it will receive a fair hearing and vote in committee,” she said.

“However, with the Washington House of Representatives operating remotely this year, the amount of legislation that will be passed is much less than in previous years. The speaker has made it clear that COVID relief and police accountability will be our highest priorities and it is unclear where this bill will land.”


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

US Congress to Vote on Decriminalizing Marijuana Next Month
18 November 2020
Iran Hangs Nine Convicted Drug Traffickers
05 January 2024
Weed Sales on Super Bowl Sunday Decrease in 2023
16 February 2023