Issaquah Imposes Marijuana Sales Moratorium

Marijuana is legal in Washington State, but the rules surrounding it remain hazy.

To help clear the air, the Issaquah City Council has adopted a six-month moratorium on recreational marijuana retail stores.

In a unanimous decision Sept. 3, 2013, council members gave our community time to decide where people may be allowed to conduct the business of marijuana legally — and safely — for themselves and their neighbors.

Meanwhile, the Washington State Liquor Control Board is building our state’s marijuana system from seed to sale. As part of that process, the board identified the number and allocation of recreational marijuana retail stores.

Issaquah is allowed up to one recreational marijuana store under the board’s proposal.

Relying on state population data and adult consumption data supplied by the state’s marijuana consultant, board members allocated up to 334 outlets statewide.

Using that formula, King County is allocated up to 61 stores countywide. Seattle, as the largest city in the county and state, is allocated up to 21 stores.

Such stores won’t be allowed to sell anything other than marijuana, marijuana-infused products and marijuana paraphernalia. They also can’t be attached to another store. So, the big-box retailer down the street can’t dedicate a section to pot.

Issaquah’s moratorium is in effect until March 3, 2014. Draft local regulations are tentatively scheduled to go to the council in early 2014. The timeline for a possible decision is not yet firm.

These new laws will be separate from Issaquah’s existing medical marijuana regulations, which were approved in 2011.

We’ve created a wide-ranging public process for this effort, and we want to hear from you. Talk to us on social media. Use #jointeffort13 to join the conversation.

For more information about local efforts, contact Associate Planner Jason Rogers. For more information on the state rules, visit the state Liquor Control Board online.