Washington authorized the medical use of marijuana on Nov. 3, 1998, creating a regulatory system that was completely separate from that for recreational marijuana.

Sales figures for medical marijuana aren’t tracked or tallied because sales outlets are unregulated, said Mikhail Carpenter, a spokesperson for the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.

Senate Bill 5052, enacted in April, will move toward merging medical and recreational marijuana laws, Carpenter said. Starting in July 2016, medical-marijuana dispensaries will require licensure, just as recreational-pot retail outlets do.

Up to four patients may form a “cooperative garden” to grow plants.

Eventually, the medical marijuana system is planned to become part of the recreational marijuana system.