Pullman council to decide on pot shop expansion

Ferguson

Gazette intern reporter

Pullman Planning Commission Wednesday, June 22, voted to send proposed amendments to the current marijuana zoning code to the city council. These amendments would allow a number of changes to the current code, such as the location of pot shops and the number that can exist within Pullman, among other things.

“Due to recent changes in state legislation, the City Council has deemed it appropriate to update the city’s marijuana regulations,” stated the PPC memorandum from the meeting.

These draft updates, or “special use provisions,” state changes such as the total number of marijuana retail facilities within the city cannot exceed five, signs and outdoor advertising for marijuana research facilities and marijuana cooperatives are prohibited and all marijuana retail stores must be at least 1,000 feet from “class A sensitive uses” or elementary schools, secondary schools and playgrounds, and at least 100 feet from recreation centers, child care centers, public parks, public transit centers, libraries and game arcades that allow people younger than 21.

“Our primary reasons to change our regulations is due to the state legislation from the last year to change and combine recreational and medical marijuana regulation,” said Pete Dickinson, planning director for the City of Pullman.

Since Initiative 692, or better known as the Medical Use of Marijuana Act, passed in 1998, this law allowed for the medical use of marijuana by patients. Even with the amendments made by the legislature, I-692 has loosely regulated the production and distribution of medical marijuana.

In February of 2012, the Pullman City Council passed legislation prohibiting the production and distribution of medical marijuana in the city when it passed an ordinance requiring prospective medical marijuana operators to obtain written permission from the U.S. Department of Justice as part of their business registration application, according to the PPC memorandum. The use, sale and possession of marijuana is still illegal under federal law.

In November of 2012, Initiative 502 passed, which established a strict regulatory system for the licensing as well as taxation of the production, processing, distribution and authorized possession of marijuana intended for personal use for people age 21 and older in Washington state. After the state law change, the City of Pullman adopted zoning code amendments in 2014 in order to manage recreational marijuana activities.

“Citizens desired a change when they voted, so city officials had to get on board,”said Dickinson.

The Liquor and Cannabis Board controls the regulation program at the state level. It also controls how many marijuana outlets are allowed. Since December of 2015, the LCB determined new allocations for marijuana retail facilities throughout the state. As a part of this process, the LCB previously set a maximum of three retail stores in Pullman and one at large in Whitman County. With the new changes to the law, though, five outlets could exist in Pullman, and two elsewhere in the county. Currently, there are three pot shops in Pullman: MJ’s Pot Shop, We’re Just Buds and Satori Pullman.

Just outside city limits, a new shop is in the works at the old location of Wawawai Canyon Winery.

“I think the changes are great,” said Mary Jane Smith, owner of MJ’s Pot Shop. “But I don’t think the population will be able to support more stores. It’s such a new industry and with that comes the question of whether or not the city can actually house more, which I don’t think it can.”

Pullman pot shops are required to follow the zoning code that currently restricts licensed shops from being located within 1,000 feet of elementary and secondary schools, playgrounds, public parks, recreation centers, child care centers, churches, libraries, public transit centers and game arcades that allow persons less than 21 years old.

All of those are considered to be sensitive uses within Pullman.

However, with the proposed amendments, shops could be located closer to and in areas previously determined to be sensitive.

The amendments would mandate that shops would have to remain at least 1,000 feet from “class A sensitive uses.” The rest of the areas, or “class B sensitive uses,” would allow shops to be located at least 100 feet in proximity.

The proposed amendments will go before the Pullman City Council meeting July 12 which starts at 7 p.m.

Aug. 31 is the date when the moratorium, which restricts the shop number in Pullman to three marijuana shops will be lifted.

“I am hoping to have the final reform of the amendments to city council by August so it is approved when the moratorium is lifted,” said Dickinson.