Recently, Washington State University released the results of a medical study they conducted on pregnant rats. WSU was studying the effect that THC has on the offspring of rat mothers who were administered a vaporized cannabis into their cages as opposed to other pregnant rats who were not given any vaporized cannabis. “The offspring of the rats that ingested marijuana during pregnancy showed slowed development.” In fact, the rat offspring who were introduced to THC in the womb developed learning strategies twice as slowly as the rats that were not exposed to THC while in the womb.

Rats are commonly used in medical research when researching diseases and medical issues in humans because rats share 90 percent of their genome with us. According to the American Medical Association, from 2002 to 2014, there was a 62 percent jump in pregnant woman who say that they had smoked pot in the last month. In Washington specifically, looking at the hospital discharge papers of pregnant women from 2011 to 2014, 8 in every 1,000 cases indicated that marijuana had been used. That was a 24% jump from recent years, and the Washington Health Department says the numbers have been rising steadily. Washington legalized marijuana in 2012.

Interestingly, the southwest and northeast regions of Washington had the highest increases of women using THC while pregnant at 13.6 out of 1,000 and 10.1 out of every 1000, respectively. The North Puget area reported the lowest incidence at 3.4 out of 1,000 hospital discharge papers reporting marijuana use amongst pregnant women.

Possession of Marijuana in Washington State

Although recreational marijuana in Washington is now legal, there are still prohibitions as to how much any one person may possess and from whom they may purchase their recreational marijuana. If you are arrested for any drug-related involving a minor, the penalties are always steeper. The following is a possible penalties chart for any drug-related crimes involving minors:

“Class C Felony

• Up to 5 years of jail time; OR
• Up to $10,000 in fines; OR
• A combination of jail time and a fine.

Class B Felony

• Up to 20 years of jail time (The max is 10 years under RCW 9A.20.021, but a violation of RCW 69.50.406 (2) states that the jail time can be doubled); OR
• Up to $20,000 in fines; OR
• A combination of jail time and a fine.

Class A Felony

• Up to 20 years in jail; OR
• A fine of up to $100,000; OR
• A combination of jail time and fines.”

Keep in mind, the above penalties are involving minors who have been born and are under the age of 18.

Contact the Law Offices of Steve Karimi

If you or a loved one have been arrested for any marijuana or controlled substance crimes it is essential that you seek strong legal representation as soon as possible. Attorney Steve Karimi has been named a top-rated criminal defense attorney in the King County area. Contact the Law Offices of Steve Karimi today to start protecting your rights.