JoAnna McKee, Medical Cannabis Pioneer and Seattle Icon, Has Passed Away

SEATTLE, Dec. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- JoAnna McKee, Medical Cannabis Pioneer and Seattle Icon, has passed away. JoAnna cofounded Green Cross Patient CO-OP with her partner Stich Miller in 1993, after seeing a news report mentioning a medical cannabis dispensary in Seattle but not being able to locate an active dispensary.

When JoAnna and Stich spoke with the Seattle AIDS Support Group, a patient said he was looking for a dispensary in order to help combat wasting syndrome, and JoAnna said they were looking for a dispensary to donate medical cannabis to.

That night, Green Cross Patient CO-OP was born.  The organization would request that patients get a note from the Doctor stating they know the patient is using medical cannabis, and JoAnna would call the doctor's office to verify the doctor's signature.

In 1995, JoAnna made the news by collecting signatures for a medical cannabis initiative. A local DEA agent saw the news and had a Kitsap County Sheriff raid their home in which they confiscated 140 pot plants; however, inside the home the sheriff deputies hid the medical cannabis that was packaged in bottles around the house. The case was dropped due to insufficient evidence - this would be the first Medical Cannabis Dispensary Raid in the U.S.

In 1997, Green Cross National Safety Council filed a lawsuit against Green Cross Patient CO-OP for copyright infringement, because of the similarity in name and the green cross logo. JoAnna contacted them and brokered a deal in which they agreed JoAnna could use the name Green Cross, but it had to include Patient CO-OP, and she was required to make minor edits to her logo. This would be the first copyright infringement case involving cannabis.

Also in 1997, JoAnna and group of patients wrote a Medical Cannabis initiative and filed it; at the same time, another Medical Cannabis Initiative was getting ready to be filed by big money folks from out of state. They asked JoAnna to pull hers; she did after a long standoff, and both parties agreed to a 60-day supply no plant count, serving one patient at any one time, and no registry.

In 1998, I-692 Medical Cannabis Law was passed, and by that time JoAnna had earned the respect and cultivated a longtime working relationships with then Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, King County District Attorney Dan Satterberg, Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff, Several Mayors and Governors, and also the medical community.

She was a fearless leader; as she would say, "We have truth on our side and nothing to hide."

Memorial Service 
December 7^th, 4pm-6pm
All Pilgrims Church
500 Broadway E
Seattle WA, 98102

Contact:  
Dale Rogers
206 618 8644 
[email protected] 
Medical Cannabis Advocate,
Former Patient Coordinator 
Green Cross Patient CO-OP,
Founder of Compassion In Action

Jeanne Kohl-Wells
206 819 2640
King County Council Woman 2016 - present
WA State Senator 1994-2016

Douglas Hiatt
206 816 9645
Lawyer
Helping medical cannabis patients since 1996.

SOURCE Green Cross Patient CO-OP