What You Need To Know About Washington’s Marijuana Bill 6204

As of today, (2/13/26) the current count of marijuana dispensaries in Chelan County is 6. Douglas County currently has five. Please forgive me if my count is off, I’m relying on the Internet AI for some of this information. 

To my way of thinking, there’s plenty of pot dispensaries out there. But right now, the state legislature is looking at legislation that would make it legal for you to grow pot at home. 

Is it legal to grow, or not? 

Currently it’s not legal to do so in Chelan County or anywhere in Washington unless it’s for medicinal purposes and then only 5 plants. So, what does the state legislature want to do? 

According to axios.com,
‘Growing recreational cannabis at home is illegal in Washington state — but lawmakers in Olympia are considering a bill this year to legalize it.
Of the 24 states that have legalized recreational cannabis, only four — including Washington — ban home growing for nonmedical use, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.
Senate Bill 6204 would allow adults over 21 to grow up to six cannabis plants per person, with a limit of 15 plants per household.’ 

To me, the whole idea of growing anything, let alone cannabis, is laughable because I have what is called a “black thumb”. That means any plant that I have custody of will die a dry and crumbly, Death. I can’t grow anything. I can’t even grow my lawn. When it comes to plant husbandry, I am a complete incompetent. 

Right now, except for medical purposes, growing pot for your own use is illegal in the state of Washington in fact it’s a Class C felony. Some consider that to be a pretty serious penalty and that’s why legislation is now moving through the Washington state legislature 

Some are saying that legalizing the growing of pot at home could increase access for youth under 21, and that’s probably a legitimate complaint. For the most part, I think everyone can agree that kids should not be smoking pot or eating edibles, ever. 

So, what’s next? 

The legislation made its way out of a Senate committee last week? That’s a major hurdle. Now the bill must pass off the Senate floor by February 17th. If it doesn’t, then we have to wait till next year to see if there’s any progress. 

There are a couple of interesting provisions on the bill, for instance, if this were to come into law, let’s say you’re growing pot on your property. If the plants are publicly visible or if that skunky smell drifts across your property line and someone else detects it, the police will be authorized to give you a $50 fine. 

One other thing the legislation that cleared the committee would do is not allow pot to be grown in homes that are used for daycare or foster homes. It would also allow local bans for cities on home grows in residential areas.