Sunday, April 27, 2014
Just when you think you can kick back & light up a fatty
Another obstacle rises up to threaten your steady supply of legal marijuana. Once again it is the US government in an unanticipated role. With the western drought, water is becoming more precious every day and the US controls much of it.
Newly licensed marijuana growers in Washington state may find themselves without a key source of water just as spring planting gets under way.Certainly this does not affect all growers but it does limit the options available.
Federal officials say they'll decide quickly whether the U.S. government can provide water for the growers or whether doing so would violate the federal Controlled Substances Act, which makes possession of the drug illegal.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which controls the water supply for two-thirds of Washington state’s irrigated land, is expected to make a decision by early May, and perhaps as soon as this week, said Dan DuBray, the agency’s chief spokesman.
The ruling will mark another key test for the Obama administration, which again will decide how far it will go in allowing the state to bypass federal law with its experimental plan to license growers and sell pot for recreational use.
The government's decision also will affect growers in Colorado _ the only other state to fully legalize marijuana _ but would likely have limited impact there because Colorado allows only indoor pot farms.
While the administration so far has done nothing to block either state, some local officials predict the Bureau of Reclamation is sure to rule that the water cannot be used on marijuana plants, since the drug has been banned by Congress.
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