Everett City Council Votes To Extend Ban On Major Marijuana Growing Operations

mj leaf

Rules for recreational marijuana in Everett, WA will remain the same for another 6 months.

The Everett City Council Wednesday night voted to extend the city’s ban on major marijuana growing operations within the city limits for another six months. Citing a lack of available data and no funding source from the State to regulate, inspect or enforce the operations, city council members agreed to keep the current rules for recreational marijuana in place. Currently the rules prohibit Tier 2 and Tier 3 large-scale production and processing facilities from opening and also limit the distance one marijuana retailer can be from another to 2500 feet. Last October the city passed the temporary rules to allow time for evaluation of how retail marijuana would work in Everett. Since that time, there have been no Tier 1 producers or processors open within the city limits and the only retailer granted a license…High Society, just opened two weeks ago. City Council member Brenda Stonecipher said she would agree to the six month extension this time but wants to move forward to making permanent rules. “We have to remember that 57% of voters in Everett approved legal marijuana,” said Stonecipher. “We also need to address any concerns about odors or other impacts that large-scale processors may bring to the neighborhoods.” Other council members spoke out about the need to respect the voters wishes while weighing the financial impact that leaves the State getting the money from recreational marijuana while the city has to deal with the local impacts. Jessica Jordan, addressed the city council saying she hopes to open her retail marijuana store, MariJ’s Highway Pot Shop, in the old Orchid Thai Restaurant/JR’s Sports Bar in the Eastmont neighborhood by the end of the year. Jordan told the council she wants to keep her money in Everett but can’t if she has to turn outside of the city limits to buy enough product to keep her doors open. The current rules will stay in place through April.

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