A step-by-step guide to legally growing your own cannabis in Washington state
While the idea of growing backyard or indoor weed is appealing, in Seattle, you might need to hold onto your seeds. Efforts earlier this year by state lawmakers to advance legislation that would allow people 21 and older to legally grow cannabis at home for recreational use failed, but qualifying medical patients can still grow a limited number of plants for personal use.
Indoors or Out, That Is the Question
For medical patients, choosing to cultivate indoors or outdoors is a matter of choice. If you opt to grow outside, Seattle’s climate makes it attractive to home cannabis growers, but it’s best to begin in late spring and consider hardy or mold-resistant strains that thrive in cooler, wetter weather. Select a protected, sunny location with good soil drainage which is crucial to prevent root rot. Or, if you choose to plant in pots, make sure to move them indoors when it rains or create a protective covering from the elements.
If you opt to grow indoors, you can choose from a wider variety of strains. Investing in a grow tent or a designated room with controlled or energy-efficient LED grow lights, temperature, and humidity, can help save on electric bills. Make sure there is adequate ventilation to prevent mold. And remember, when the plants near harvesting time, fans to move air is helpful as the smell can be potent.
Know the Constantly Changing Law
While growing at home may be legal for medical patients, it’s important to be aware of Washington state’s strict laws. When the Medical Use of Marijuana Act was legalized in 1998, patients with certain debilitating medical conditions were allowed to use cannabis treatment. It also afforded patients and caregivers legal protections. But even though in 2012, Washington was one of the first states to legalize adult-use marijuana, growing cannabis at home for personal use without a state medical card remains a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and fines of up to $10,000. So here are the most up-to-date laws to consider:
- Medical cannabis patients registered by the state can grow up to six plants and possess up to eight ounces from their plants in their domicile. Patients with medical cards not registered can grow up to four plants and possess up to six ounces of usable marijuana from their plants.
- What you do with cannabis in your home needs to stay in your home and not enter the public space as defined by Washington law.
- If a landlord chooses to prohibit the use of cannabis in his or her building, a medical user can request an accommodation despite the prohibition in the lease. Washington employers are specifically exempted from granting reasonable accommodations based on medical cannabis use. Washington landlords are not given similar protection.
The Future of Home Use
Although the bill, HB 2194, failed to advance, Washington-based advocates and lawmakers continue to fight for the right to recreational home grows, claiming it would ensure pesticide-free products and allow better access to a plant the state already allows to be sold in dispensaries. The bill was reintroduced in the House in November.
“It has since become clear that Washington consumers deserve the right to grow your own for personal use,” said Pete Holmes, Seattle’s former city attorney, “as many of the states that legalized in the past decade after Washington have already done.”
