Seattle Hempfest Will Stop Medical Marijuana Doctors For Writing Prescriptions

Recently the state Department of Health submitted charges versus 2 naturopaths that authored 100s of medical marijuana recommendations at last seasons Hempfest. Do not anticipate a duplicate this time: Event coordinators have prohibited medical cannabis vendors due to “a perception of inappropriateness.”

Vivian McPeak, Hempfest executive director, states the choice to forbid cannabis prescriptions for medical marijuana patients at the Seattle cannabis blowout slated for Aug. 17-19 was created in excess of 3 months back following a vote from the corporation’s 9 person board of directors. It’s not an answer to news concerning the Department of Healths attacks on medical marijuana dispensaries and their patients. He speculates that medical cannabis cards happen to be an element of the celebration “for as long as there’s been dispensaries in Seattle,” although with greater than 4 hundred vendors, it’s hard to maintain tabs on the services available. (10 vendor booths had been shut down this past year for selling marijuana and cannabis edibles.

While illegal — even a media reporter mentioned the medical marijuana doctor that wrote his marijuana prescription “followed the new requirements that had just been passed by the legislature” — the questionable setup had been sufficient to provide event coordinators pause. Here is the brand new phrasing of the Hempfest merchant guidelines:

“Providing of medical recommendations at Seattle Hempfest is not permitted. While this activity is not illegal, it gives a perception of inappropriateness and reinforces a cynical view of the integrity of the medical cannabis authorization process. You are welcome to provide information at your booth and direct those requesting medical authorizations to your off site medical office.”

McPeak claims the negative effects from the brand-new guidelines is that many medical marijuana patients and attendees from areas of the state with out 420 friendly physicians will now have a tougher time obtaining access to their medical cannabis.

Even though Hempfest is only a few days away, Department of Health spokesman Tim Church assured Seattle Weekly that the timing from the allegations towards the naturopaths had been solely a coincidence. McPeak, in spite of this, is cynical about this. “The timing of it appears, let’s be honest, coordinated and strategic,” McPeak says. “Not all people in this world supports what we are undertaking at Hempfest — providing knowledge of the health benefits of marijuana and cannabinoids. We can only assume this was strategically timed.”