Medical marijuana dispensary bill delayed

RICHLAND, Wash.-- As the special session continues at the state capitol,
one issue not up for debate is a bill to legalize medical marijuana
dispensaries. Sen. Jerome Delvin, (R), planned on introducing
legislation, but now he's going to wait.

Today the senator told KNDU his plans to introduce a medical pot
dispensary bill went up in smoke when he found out just how far apart
the two sides in this issue are. But while this is a delay, all sides
want better regulation to happen.

"I don't think that they want to grow it themselves," says Delvin. "But
I think a lot of them are forced into it right now."

The law would have to change to get legal medical pot dispensaries,
something Delvin wanted to propose this year; but now he says it's off
the table.

"I just got the sense that in this 60 day session," he says. "Because of
the budget and the concerns of that budget that the people are going to
be more focused on that then worrying about a medical marijuana bill
going through."

Medical cannabis patients say they would prefer to have dispensaries for
their medication because right now their options are to grow it
themselves, or buy it from a dealer. But many patients cannot grow the
crop and they say they are forced to buy it off the street.

Law enforcement and the prosecutor's office is the other side of this
issue. They want to make sure all laws are enforced and right now the
law is you need a prescription and you have to grow the marijuana
yourself.