Normally I don't read your articles, because you only post links here on opencarry.org rather than the actualy body of your articles. That tells me you're more concerned with click rate, rather than readership levels (two totally different approaches to IP, and monotizing content distribution)... but your sensationalistic title sucked me in.
Very poorly written article imho, lacking substance and an conclusion. No where did you actually justify your anti-MMJ title.
And if you're going to be 'fair' to the self defense issue by citing the actual RCW, you might as well also cite the MMJ RCW. Yes the guy had 300 plants, no that is not above the "statutory ammount". Your quote: "
Urquhart said deputies left "the statutory amount" of marijuana allowed by law with Sarich and his girlfriend: 15 plants and 24 ounces of processed marijuana for each." Your quote is flat out wrong.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=246-75-010
"The presumption in this section may be overcome with evidence of a qualifying patient's necessary medical use."
http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/medical-marijuana/
"A 60-day supply is defined as 24 ounces and 15 plants. The law says that a patient may exceed these limits if he or she can prove medical need."
So Sarich will now likely have to face his day in court and prove he had a medical need to have 300+ plants -- which is proper since the MMJ law is all about a positive defense. But the fact is, there is not 'really' a statutory maximum, there is no upper ceiling, there is simply a somewhat imaginary line drawn in the sand.
How often are the police wrong about open carry laws? How often do they mislead the media? How often do they lie to people who exercise that right? How often do the people on opencarry.org show a better understanding of the law than the average police office that they interact with? Answer: all the time. So if police are like that in regards to one kind of behavior about one action that is legal under state law (open carry), they likely do it for other actions too (MMJ).
I don't have a dog in this hunt (Steve's situation, or MMJ), but imho you should try harder to get your facts right, and not be so quick to judge activity that is legal under state law (just like open carry). I guess that's just the libertarian in me