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HEALTHY LIVING | Time for a flu shot [page 9]
On your mark | Tahoma’s Lindsey Hanger WEBSITE | Check the website for breaking brings home medal from state 4A swim news, sports and weather stories. maplevalleyreporter.com or covingtonreporter.com FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 and dive meet [10]
Ravensdale commemorates 100-year Aquatics center anniversary of deadly mine explosion breaks one-millionth customer mark
BY SARAH BRENDEN Reporter
O
n Monday, 100 years after an explosion at a mine in Ravensdale killed 31 miners, descendants along with other community members and leaders came together to remember. In 1915 on Nov. 16 about 150 miners entered the Ravensdale No. 1 mine for a typical day of work. A few hours into their shift an electrical problem with a hoist machine stopped work and sent 120 of the miners home. Leaving 34 miners still in the mine shaft. At 1:25 p.m. an explosion could be felt throughout the town. After several hours, four miners at the 1,200 foot level were found alive. One of the four did not survive before he could make it out of the mine. It wasn’t until six days later Community members look at a photo displaying the 31 miners who died at the Ravensdale No. 1 that rescue crews could reach mine 100 years ago. Monday, Nov. 16, marked the exact day in 1915 when the mine explosion happened. the remaining miners at the Fifteen new signs were also unveiled during Monday’s ceremony on what is now being called the History [ more RAVENSDALE page 8 ] Trail. The signs detail the history of Ravensdale. SARAH BRENDEN, The Reporter
More swimmers have increase demand for recreational space at the pool brating the one-millionth customer might not have happened at all. During the Great In 2005, the city of Recession in 2008, the Covington acquired the amount of business began aquatic center from King to decline and the city County and 10 years considered closing down later, celebrated its onethe aquatic center, Karla millionth cusSlate said, the tomer. city communicaOn Nov. 10, tions and marthe Covington keting manager. Aquatic Center After doing some welcomed its research, the city one-millionth cusdecided not to tomer, Emmaline Emmaline Roberts close it. Roberts, with a “It was more of rainfall of bala value thing rather loons and bubbles. Robthan a monetary thing,” erts also received a bag Bahl said. After almost of city of Covington logo closing the aquatic goodies and a one-year center, city officials Family Aqua Memberdecided to restructure ship to the aquatic center, and promote the center’s Rachel Bahl said, aquatprograms to attract more ics director. A few years ago, cele[ more AQUATICS page 3 ] BY ANA KAREN PEREZ-GUZMAN
Reporter
Times are a changing for medical marijuana BY RAY STILL Reporter
Medical marijuana is not new to the Covington area – for at least six years the community has been served by Covington Holistic Medicine. But the new Cannabis Patient Protection Act will be changing the way medical marijuana will be sold in the state. The new legislation, also known as Senate Bill 5052, was passed by legislators last July and comes into full effect July 1, 2016. Covington Holistic Medicine’s owner has said the dispensary is applying for its recreational marijuana licence, which will turn the dispensary into a recreational store after July 1. Without the recreational license, the dispensary would have to close down. The store is also aiming to be medically endorsed by the Department of Health in order to keep selling medical marijuana. If the store is medically endorsed, it can start selling medical marijuana after July 1. Euphorium, near the city of Covington, already has its recreational license, but it could not be confirmed that the store is applying for its medical endorsement.
What is medical marijuana? Although the term medical marijuana will become more common as the Cannabis Patient Protection Act is solidified over the coming months, it’s a bit of a misnomer, because there is no real difference between medical and recreational marijuana. “The only difference between medical and recreational marijuana is the intent of the user,” said Kristi Weeks, a policy counselor for the Washington State Department of Health. “Some strains or forms of marijuana may be more typically used by a medical patient, such as a very high CBD (or cannabidiol) and low THC strain (the psychoactive active ingredient of recreational cannabis). But they all come from the same plant.” Despite the common use of the phrase, medical marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and does not have medication status; it cannot be prescribed by doctors or dispensed at a pharmacy, and stores are still not allowed to make medical claims concerning marijuana. This is because the Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve marijuana as a treatment or medication, Weeks said, and stores and products will are required to state that fact in some form. To further prevent medical claims, store owners with medi-
Integrity Labs co-owner Mark Hubbard hold up a sample of dried marijuana after the THC had been chemically separated. Photo by Ray Still cal marijuana endorsements are allowed to advertise the fact they have a medical endorsement and they sell marijuana to medical patients, not that they sell medical marijuana, said Weeks. While medical claims about marijuana are being avoided, the Department of Health will be identifying marijuana products that it deems to be beneficial to marijuana patients. “The legislature asked us to define what products are beneficial for patients. A lot of people thought we were going to say, ‘this kind of marijuana is medical and this kind is recre[ more MARIJUANA page 3 ]