OR: Pendleton Marijuana Regulations Must Be Set By Jan. 3

Katelyn Baker

Well-Known Member
Although Pendleton voters strongly endorsed legalizing marijuana sales and taxing them, residents shouldn't expect new pot shops in town overnight.

Land use regulations for marijuana businesses were approved by the Pendleton City Council Nov. 1, but city attorney Nancy Kerns said ordinances creating a special marijuana business license and enacting a 3 percent sales tax needs to be passed before potential retailers can open their doors.

Kerns said she wanted to give staff more time to review drafts of the laws before proposing them to the city council, meaning they're not likely to be discussed at Tuesday's meeting.

Kerns said she is hopeful all city regulations should be in place by Jan. 1.

Mark Pettinger is a spokesman for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the public agency that regulates recreational marijuana sales for the state.

Pettinger said Pendleton and all the other cities and counties that repealed bans on marijuana sales will have until Jan. 3 to begin issuing licenses, giving the city a grace period to enact its final spate of ordinances.

Potential retailers would have a high bar to clear with both the city and the state to start selling marijuana in 2017.

While a current iteration of the business license ordinance isn't yet public, staff did write a draft when the city council briefly considered medical marijuana regulations in June 2015, which required marijuana retailers to get approval from the state before it could secure a local license.

If the city opts to keep that language, prospective marijuana business owners would need to submit a land-use compatibility statement, undergo background checks, show a boundary sketch, floor plan and operating plan and pay thousands of dollars to the state before they would apply for a license at the city level.

Because Pendleton's newly passed land-use regulations keep marijuana stores from being located within 1,000 feet of a park, none of the several downtown smoke shops, like Pandora's Box at 28 S.E. Emigrant Ave., would be able to expand their inventory to include marijuana without opening in a new location.

Pandora's Box manager Nate Ralston said the business is considering its options but was unsure if it was going to enter the market, citing the high licensing fees.

"I hope whoever does it has good customer service," he said.

Although marijuana isn't on the agenda, council members will discuss other issues, like declaring the lands west of the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport as a Regionally Significant Industrial Area, which would allow the city to access new grants and expedite the state regulatory process.

The council will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the council chambers in city hall , 500 S.W. Dorion Ave.

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Full Article: Pendleton Marijuana Regulations Must Be Set By Jan. 3
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