Pubdate: Thu, 20 Mar 2014
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2014 The Seattle Times Company
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Author: Bob Young
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Cannabis - Popular)

BELLEVUE TO CONSIDER BANNING POT MERCHANTS

Decision to Move Ahead Was Made Last Year

Some on Council Now Seek Debate After AG Weighed In

Bellevue, where 59 percent of the electorate voted for Initiative 
502, is considering banning recreational-pot businesses in light of 
state Attorney General Bob Ferguson's advisory opinion that cities 
and counties can block the new legal industry.

Bellevue's City Council had already debated legal pot businesses last 
year and decided to move ahead with "emergency interim" regulations 
that would allow state-licensed growers, processors and retailers, 
but restrict where in the city they could locate.

But at a Monday night meeting, the seven council members extended the 
interim regulations, due to expire next month, for another six 
months. Then they directed staff to prepare information on a possible 
ban of legal pot businesses for them to consider.

Council member Conrad Lee said the city's tolerant attitude 
"troubled" him. Kevin Wallace said he didn't think a ban was 
considered during the council's deliberations last year, but that 
Ferguson's opinion now made that a viable option. Wallace said he'd 
like the chance to vote on an outright ban. New member Lynne 
Robinson, elected in November, said Bellevue is "not the place to 
manufacture or sell marijuana" and that she would disallow legal pot 
merchants if she could.

John Chelminiak may be the swing vote, as Councilmembers Claudia 
Balducci, Jennifer Robertson and John Stokes indicated they opposed a ban.

Chelminiak said he isn't sure a ban "is the right thing to do" but 
said he wanted to discuss it further.

Balducci said a ban would be "shortsighted" and would push problems 
"over the border but not away." Robertson said "we need to recognize 
the will of the voters." And Stokes said he didn't think prohibition 
works and that it would be good to bring the illicit pot market out 
of alleyways and control it. The city might as well ban alcohol if it 
was going to outlaw legal pot businesses, he said.

During a one-month window for entrepreneurs to seek licenses, state 
officials received 22 producer, 13 processor and 56 retail 
applications for Bellevue. Officials had allocated four of the 
proposed 334 statewide retail stores to Bellevue. Because of the 
glut, it's expected the four retail winners in Bellevue would be 
decided by a lottery.

If the council is going to ban legal pot businesses, it will want to 
move quickly. The state could license legal pot merchants in Bellevue 
any day now. They wouldn't be subject to a subsequent ban and would 
be legally grandfathered in, Robertson said.

The council called for consideration of a ban "as soon as the calendar allows."

Balducci, who serves as mayor, said a ban would frustrate her because 
changing course and revisiting an issue that seemed to have been 
decided would "gum up" the council's work plan for the state's 
fifth-largest city.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom