OLYMPIA, Wash. — Bills regarding the home cultivation of cannabis, enshrining the right to hunt and fish in the state Constitution and prohibiting police from hog-tying suspects will be discussed within the Washington Legislature.
House Bill 2194 has been introduced into the house and has had an executive session scheduled. The bill discusses the legalization of home cultivation of cannabis.
Within the bill it summarized that the production and possession of no more than six plants, the cannabis and cannabis products derived from those plants does not violate any provision of Washington state law.
Documents state that, “no more than 15 plants may be produced at any one time on the premises of a single housing unit, regardless of the number of residents living on the premises.”
In 2021, Washington voters legalized marijuana but through several bills, home cultivation over the years has failed.
If this house bill passes, it would be a civil infraction for an individual to grow between six and 15 plants, while growing 16 or more plants would be a class C felony which is the current penalty for growing any marijuana at home. The felony charge carries a maximum five years imprisonment and up to a $10,000 fine.
Next, Senate Joint Resolution 8208 has been introduced into the house and has a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks.
This resolution would create an “inalienable right to forage, hunt, fish, trap and harvest wildlife and fish” in the state constitution if two-thirds of both the Senate and House agree to put the amendment to the constitution up for a statewide vote and a simple majority of voters approves.
The concept for this bill has floated around the legislature for the past couple years, with a similar bill proposed in 2017.
Some people in the state want the commission to revise the policy so that it states that its definitions do not diminish WDFW’s mandate to “preserve, protect, perpetuate, and manage the wildlife and food fish, game fish, and shellfish in state waters and offshore waters” and to “attempt to maximize the public recreational game fishing and hunting opportunities of all citizens.”
Finally, Senate Bill 6009 has been introduced into the house and has had an executive session scheduled. The bill discusses prohibiting the use of hog-tying for law enforcement when apprehending a suspect.
The restraint technique has long drawn concern due to the risk of suffocation, and while many cities and counties have banned the practice, it remains in use in others.
Jamika Scott, Tacoma city council member, testified Monday in favor of banning hog-tying, calling it an “inhumane practice.”
“This bends a body into a bow shape and as you can imagine this does not leave a lot of room for you to get oxygen into your lungs,” she said. “It makes it really hard.”
For more information regarding these bills and to see others being introduced, go to the Washington State Legislature’s website.
