The General
New Member
Washington State - Legal recreational marijuana is coming to Clark County as early as June, and retailers are showing a huge interest in opening stores. Applicants have filed paperwork to open stores for the public in 77 locations in Vancouver, Washougal, Ridgefield, Battle Ground or Camas. The stores will have names like Green Bliss, Vansterdam, Bella Flora, Cannabox and House of Green. Only 15 Clark County licenses will be issued: six at-large, six in Vancouver and one each in Battle Ground, Camas and Washougal.
If more than 15 of the 77 applicants make it through the screening process, the state will conduct a lottery to see which qualified candidates get slots.With the opening of retail cannabis stores, Clark County residents can expect resistance from opponents who worry about marijuana use by kids, an influx of marijuana tourists and loss of property values around marijuana outlets. On the upside, Washington can expect new tax money from growers, processors and sellers of the product, as well as new jobs in the legal industry. The state's plan is to levy a 25 percent tax on each level of the pot production system: producer to processor, processor to retailer, and retailer to customer. The state estimates that could mean $1.9 billion in new tax revenue over five years, with state administrative costs estimated of $66 million over five years.
Scrambling to start
Recreational pot use was legalized in November 2012 when Washington voters approved Initiative 502. Since then, state and local officials have been scrambling to finalize regulations and approve licensing. Across the state, 1,313 potential retailers have applied to the Washington Liquor Control Commission for licenses, while only 334 licenses will be issued. Another 1,522 applicants are seeking licenses to process pot and 2,114 have applied to grow it, according to data from the agency.
Much of the pot will be grown and processed in buildings, and the number of growing and processing licenses issued depends on the size of operations. There can be a lot of small operations or a few larger ones. Under state rules, no growing facility larger than 30,000 square feet will be allowed in Washington. No more than 2 million square feet of growing space will be allowed, and no more than 40 metric tons of marijuana can be grown legally in 2014.
Marijuana advocates say that's a start, but not enough, leaving plenty of room for a black market to continue to thrive. Paula Tschida, 53, a Kalama-based consultant to legal growers and sellers, believes Washington's growing and processing rules will be merged eventually. That will allow growers to handle the pruning of plants on growing sites, rather than forcing growers to transport plants to a separate area for manicuring and development.
She said she expects current medical marijuana dispensaries to be merged into retail stores, with retailers learning to produce the variety of strains required by patients. "These are exciting times," said Tschida. Her clients include those in the illegal trade looking to go legitimate, as well as farmers and property owners who for the first time are seeking entry into a business they expect to be lucrative. "Within about three months we are going to see things happen," she said.
Navigating a new industry
Tschida (pronounced CHEE-ta) has a master's in sociology from San Jose State University and was in the medical marijuana business in California for a short time. Today, she spends most of her time consulting on large facility management, including security systems and maintenance for colleges and universities such as Bakersfield College, Georgia Southern University and community colleges in San Mateo and Freemont, Calif. She got into the marijuana field by briefly working in medical marijuana in California, and then turning her knowledge of big building management and security into consulting work with would-be marijuana growers and retailers.
Tschida and her husband Kevin, who live in Cowlitz County where they can raise chickens, have applied to sell marijuana under the name Green Onyx Cannabis at 221 N.E. 104th Ave., in Vancouver. They've also applied to sell in Longview. The Tschidas also launched Acinonyx Academy, a Vancouver business designed to help would-be pot growers and sellers navigate the regulations coming down under Initiative 502.Acinonyx is the scientific name for the cheetah, which sounds like the couple's name: Tschida, she explained.
In general, Tschida expects the beginning of legal marijuana in Washington to be bumpy. The federal government still lists marijuana as a dangerous drug, like heroin, although federal officials said they have no plan to enforce federal law in states that allow recreational use. But Pierce County has placed a moratorium on marijuana retail until the U.S. Congress removes marijuana from its list of federally controlled substances. Pierce county council members said enforcement of marijuana regulations won't be possible until the conflict between state and federal law is settled. "They are not playing by the rules," Tschida said.
Rules for Southwest Washington
Licenses for growers and processors likely will be issued sometime in mid-2014 after county officials and the city councils sign off on zoning rules that are in the works, Vancouver City Planner Bryan Snodgrass said. Retail sales licenses will follow. The city's standards are to be reviewed by the city planning commission on Jan. 28 with recommendations to the city council for a public hearing in February or March. The city has a moratorium on retail sales until June, Clark County until February.
"The city is in the process of developing permanent standards to process local applications for state license holders," Snodgrass said. "The city standards will likely be adopted before state licenses are issued." He said the city will require compliance with additional standards beyond state requirements. For example, retailers must be at least 300 feet from the nearest other marijuana retailerand 1,000 feet from the nearest schools, parks, playgrounds, libraries, day care, recreation centers and transit facilities.
All these prescriptions from the bureaucracy shouldn't be necessary, some marijuana advocates say. "I think the whole thing is making people realize it is not a drug," said Glenn Shumaker, 26, a student and marijuana processing worker. "It's a plant, not a drug.
Booming business
Shumaker, like many residents of southwest Washington, looks forward to the state's easing of restrictions on marijuana even if there are still restrictions. "It's prohibition, like it was with alcohol," said Shumaker, a West Virginia native and 2008 graduate of Woodland High School. "They lifted it, and the alcohol business boomed. It's going to be the same with marijuana business." A full-time online student in the University of Phoenix who smokes marijuana every day, Shumaker said he helps friends supply marijuana for medical use and aids the Tschidas with their consulting. He said he expects to find employment in the marijuana industry.
Clark and Cowlitz County marijuana advocates such as Donald Mueller, Tom Lauerman and David Birkhead have spoken up publicly in favor of legal recreational marijuana. All testified at the liquor board's big public hearing on Feb. 7. Mueller, 48, said he grows and uses medical marijuana and claimed pot brought him out of his wheelchair after he suffered a broken back.
Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt said many issues remain to be decided but he expects a good outcome for the city. "The business of marijuana retail sales presents unique challenges --- some real and I believe some perceived," the mayor said. "But, we will strive for policy and implementation practices to see that business owners, customers and the larger public can realize the benefits that new business and economy bring to our community.
Leavitt said he expects that marijuana licensees, as with any business, "will establish business best management practices that result in a positive impact on our community."
Opposition continues
While many activists and mainstream civic leaders have embraced the implementation of Intiative 502, others are concerned. Few oppose the advent of legalized marijuana use more vehemently than Prevent!, a nonprofit representing the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Clark County. The group is working to keep alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and synthetic drugs such as ecstasy out of the hands of kids.
Sean Chavez, who recently served as a coordinator for the prevention group, has described the coming legal marijuana stores as a "tsunami" that Prevent! hopes to counteract with a program of awareness. "Our number one concern is use rates," Chavez said in an interview while still working at Prevent! "Will more kids use marijuana? It's not just smoking it, you know. It's consuming these other products that are very kid friendly: candy and brownies." Everyone expects that legal recreational marijuana is here to stay. All are grappling with what that will mean.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Oregonlive.com
Author: Dean Baker
Contact: Contact Us | Oregonian Media GroupOregonian Media Group
Website: Prospective Clark County marijuana businesses queue up for legal licenses | OregonLive.com
If more than 15 of the 77 applicants make it through the screening process, the state will conduct a lottery to see which qualified candidates get slots.With the opening of retail cannabis stores, Clark County residents can expect resistance from opponents who worry about marijuana use by kids, an influx of marijuana tourists and loss of property values around marijuana outlets. On the upside, Washington can expect new tax money from growers, processors and sellers of the product, as well as new jobs in the legal industry. The state's plan is to levy a 25 percent tax on each level of the pot production system: producer to processor, processor to retailer, and retailer to customer. The state estimates that could mean $1.9 billion in new tax revenue over five years, with state administrative costs estimated of $66 million over five years.
Scrambling to start
Recreational pot use was legalized in November 2012 when Washington voters approved Initiative 502. Since then, state and local officials have been scrambling to finalize regulations and approve licensing. Across the state, 1,313 potential retailers have applied to the Washington Liquor Control Commission for licenses, while only 334 licenses will be issued. Another 1,522 applicants are seeking licenses to process pot and 2,114 have applied to grow it, according to data from the agency.
Much of the pot will be grown and processed in buildings, and the number of growing and processing licenses issued depends on the size of operations. There can be a lot of small operations or a few larger ones. Under state rules, no growing facility larger than 30,000 square feet will be allowed in Washington. No more than 2 million square feet of growing space will be allowed, and no more than 40 metric tons of marijuana can be grown legally in 2014.
Marijuana advocates say that's a start, but not enough, leaving plenty of room for a black market to continue to thrive. Paula Tschida, 53, a Kalama-based consultant to legal growers and sellers, believes Washington's growing and processing rules will be merged eventually. That will allow growers to handle the pruning of plants on growing sites, rather than forcing growers to transport plants to a separate area for manicuring and development.
She said she expects current medical marijuana dispensaries to be merged into retail stores, with retailers learning to produce the variety of strains required by patients. "These are exciting times," said Tschida. Her clients include those in the illegal trade looking to go legitimate, as well as farmers and property owners who for the first time are seeking entry into a business they expect to be lucrative. "Within about three months we are going to see things happen," she said.
Navigating a new industry
Tschida (pronounced CHEE-ta) has a master's in sociology from San Jose State University and was in the medical marijuana business in California for a short time. Today, she spends most of her time consulting on large facility management, including security systems and maintenance for colleges and universities such as Bakersfield College, Georgia Southern University and community colleges in San Mateo and Freemont, Calif. She got into the marijuana field by briefly working in medical marijuana in California, and then turning her knowledge of big building management and security into consulting work with would-be marijuana growers and retailers.
Tschida and her husband Kevin, who live in Cowlitz County where they can raise chickens, have applied to sell marijuana under the name Green Onyx Cannabis at 221 N.E. 104th Ave., in Vancouver. They've also applied to sell in Longview. The Tschidas also launched Acinonyx Academy, a Vancouver business designed to help would-be pot growers and sellers navigate the regulations coming down under Initiative 502.Acinonyx is the scientific name for the cheetah, which sounds like the couple's name: Tschida, she explained.
In general, Tschida expects the beginning of legal marijuana in Washington to be bumpy. The federal government still lists marijuana as a dangerous drug, like heroin, although federal officials said they have no plan to enforce federal law in states that allow recreational use. But Pierce County has placed a moratorium on marijuana retail until the U.S. Congress removes marijuana from its list of federally controlled substances. Pierce county council members said enforcement of marijuana regulations won't be possible until the conflict between state and federal law is settled. "They are not playing by the rules," Tschida said.
Rules for Southwest Washington
Licenses for growers and processors likely will be issued sometime in mid-2014 after county officials and the city councils sign off on zoning rules that are in the works, Vancouver City Planner Bryan Snodgrass said. Retail sales licenses will follow. The city's standards are to be reviewed by the city planning commission on Jan. 28 with recommendations to the city council for a public hearing in February or March. The city has a moratorium on retail sales until June, Clark County until February.
"The city is in the process of developing permanent standards to process local applications for state license holders," Snodgrass said. "The city standards will likely be adopted before state licenses are issued." He said the city will require compliance with additional standards beyond state requirements. For example, retailers must be at least 300 feet from the nearest other marijuana retailerand 1,000 feet from the nearest schools, parks, playgrounds, libraries, day care, recreation centers and transit facilities.
All these prescriptions from the bureaucracy shouldn't be necessary, some marijuana advocates say. "I think the whole thing is making people realize it is not a drug," said Glenn Shumaker, 26, a student and marijuana processing worker. "It's a plant, not a drug.
Booming business
Shumaker, like many residents of southwest Washington, looks forward to the state's easing of restrictions on marijuana even if there are still restrictions. "It's prohibition, like it was with alcohol," said Shumaker, a West Virginia native and 2008 graduate of Woodland High School. "They lifted it, and the alcohol business boomed. It's going to be the same with marijuana business." A full-time online student in the University of Phoenix who smokes marijuana every day, Shumaker said he helps friends supply marijuana for medical use and aids the Tschidas with their consulting. He said he expects to find employment in the marijuana industry.
Clark and Cowlitz County marijuana advocates such as Donald Mueller, Tom Lauerman and David Birkhead have spoken up publicly in favor of legal recreational marijuana. All testified at the liquor board's big public hearing on Feb. 7. Mueller, 48, said he grows and uses medical marijuana and claimed pot brought him out of his wheelchair after he suffered a broken back.
Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt said many issues remain to be decided but he expects a good outcome for the city. "The business of marijuana retail sales presents unique challenges --- some real and I believe some perceived," the mayor said. "But, we will strive for policy and implementation practices to see that business owners, customers and the larger public can realize the benefits that new business and economy bring to our community.
Leavitt said he expects that marijuana licensees, as with any business, "will establish business best management practices that result in a positive impact on our community."
Opposition continues
While many activists and mainstream civic leaders have embraced the implementation of Intiative 502, others are concerned. Few oppose the advent of legalized marijuana use more vehemently than Prevent!, a nonprofit representing the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Clark County. The group is working to keep alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and synthetic drugs such as ecstasy out of the hands of kids.
Sean Chavez, who recently served as a coordinator for the prevention group, has described the coming legal marijuana stores as a "tsunami" that Prevent! hopes to counteract with a program of awareness. "Our number one concern is use rates," Chavez said in an interview while still working at Prevent! "Will more kids use marijuana? It's not just smoking it, you know. It's consuming these other products that are very kid friendly: candy and brownies." Everyone expects that legal recreational marijuana is here to stay. All are grappling with what that will mean.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Oregonlive.com
Author: Dean Baker
Contact: Contact Us | Oregonian Media GroupOregonian Media Group
Website: Prospective Clark County marijuana businesses queue up for legal licenses | OregonLive.com
