No New Pot Shops In Everett For 2 Years

There are five recreational pot shops in Everett. Tonight in a 4 -2 vote the Everett City Council decided that was enough for the next two years.

At the end of a public hearing where the majority of the speakers were from outside the Everett city limits, a divided city council agreed to accept the recommendations of the Everett Planning Commission and limit the number of retail pot stores in Everett to the current five.

Five had been the limit of stores within the city limits as set by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board but once the board decided to combine recreational and medical pot stores under the same roof it added five more locations to Everett’s allotment.

That did not sit well with the Everett City Council who tried but failed to pass an emergency ordinance on February 3rd. When that failed the city council asked the Everett Planning Commission to look into how many new pot stores Everett should have. The Planning Commission said there should be no more stores for a period of two years so the city could study the effects of retail marijuana and how the combination of recreational and medical sales together will work.

Tonight was the public hearing and council vote. Out of 14 people who addressed the council 8 were for banning new stores and 6 were against. At the end of the public hearing it was up to the council…

Councilmember Brenda Stonecipher was absent but here’s what the other six members of the Everett City Council had to say…

“Everett has done its share,” said councilmember Scott Bader. “It’s time for other jurisdictions to step up.”

“It’s a new industry,” said councilmember Cassie Franklin. “We need time to evaluate it.”

“I want to be sure medical marijuana is available in Everett,” said councilmember Judy Tuohy.

“We’ve done our part,” said councilmember Jeff Moore. “There are 14 other marijuana shops just south of Everett.”

“I’m opposed to this limit over medical concerns,” said councilmember Paul Roberts.

“Four out of our five shops have applied for medical marijuana,” said councilmember Scott Murphy. “We’ve stepped up.”

So in a 4-2 vote the council agreed to prohibit any more stores from opening in Everett for the next two years while they ask the city to study various aspects of legal marijuana in Everett, Washington.