Pubdate: Tue, 08 Jul 2014
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2014 The Associated Press
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10
Author: Gene Johnson, the Associated Press
Page: B1

READY, SET, SMOKE!

Washington State Issues First Retail Pot-Shop Licenses

SEATTLE (AP) - Washington state issued its first retail marijuana 
licenses Monday with a middle-of-the-night email alerting bleary-eyed 
pot-shop proprietors that they finally will be able to open for business.

"We're pretty stoked," said John Evich, an investor in Bellingham's 
Top Shelf Cannabis, in a 2:30 a.m. Pacific time interview with The 
Associated Press. "We haven't had any sleep in a long time, but we're 
excited for the next step."

Randy Simmons, the state Liquor Control Board's project manager for 
legal marijuana, said Sunday night that the first two dozen stores 
were being notified so early to give them an extra few hours to get 
cannabis on their shelves before they are allowed to open their doors 
today at 8 a.m. - an opening that's expected to be accompanied by 
high prices, shortages and celebration.

The issuance of the retail licenses marked a major step that's been 
20 months in the making. Washington and Colorado stunned much of the 
world by voting in November 2012 to legalize marijuana for adults 
over 21 and to create state-licensed systems for growing, selling and 
taxing the pot. Sales began in Colorado Jan. 1. It remained unclear 
how many of the pot shops being licensed in Washington planned to 
open today. Officials eventually expect to have more than 300 
recreational pot shops across the state.

At Cannabis City, which will be the first and, for now, only 
recreational marijuana shop in Seattle, owner James Lathrop worked 
into the night Sunday placing no-parking signs in front of his 
building, hoisting a grand-opening banner and hanging artwork before 
he turned his attention to his email - and the official notification 
that he was a licensed marijuana dealer.

"I've had a long day. It really hasn't sunk in yet," he said early Monday.

Lathrop planned to hold off on opening his store until today at noon.

"Know your audience: We're talking stoners here," he said. "I'd be 
mean to say they need to get up at 5 a.m. to get in line."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom