SPOKANE, Wash. — The green-cross storefronts of medical marijuana dispensaries are common in much of Washington, and the state is plowing ahead with licensing people to grow and sell recreational marijuana to adults.

But an upcoming federal trial for five people in Spokane suggests that the issue of marijuana possession is not yet settled law in the state.

Larry Harvey, a 70-year-old medical marijuana patient with no criminal history, three of his relatives, and a family friend each face mandatory minimum sentences of at least 10 years in prison after they were caught growing about 70 marijuana plants on their rural, mountainous property.