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Washington State - Whidbey Island's first legal sale of recreational marijuana occurred Friday. Tom Trimbath, a South Whidbey blogger, was the third paying customer at Whidbey Island Cannabis Company, which opened at about 11 a.m. His wait was a long one, as he was initially at the store in July when news first broke that the shop received one of the first licenses issued in Washington. Local permitting headaches delayed the opening three months, and Trimbath was back Friday, camera around his neck to shoot pictures for his blog, and money in his pocket to make a purchase which he planned to use in cooking.
"It will be an interesting experiment," said Trimbath after sniffing the two strains available: blackberry Kush and purple Afgani. Whidbey Island Cannabis Company owner Maureen Cooke received her occupancy permit from Island County minutes before the 11 a.m. grand opening Oct. 24. She expected the first day to be "a zoo." "I can breathe now," said Cooke, after the first few transactions – all in cash.
As a few people lingered outside the frosted doors before 11 a.m., Cooke asked her employees if they were ready to open. With a few pensive smiles, a couple of knowing head shakes and a "not quite yet, give us five minutes," Cooke waited. What was another five minutes after a more than three-month wait? It took that time from receiving her state license by the Washington State Liquor Control Board in July to the time Island County finished its review of her application and site visits.
Whidbey Island Cannabis Company was issued a stop-work order in July by the Island County planning department for failing to apply and receive a proper building permit and go through a site review. In Washington, voters approved Initiative 501 in 2012 to legalize recreational marijuana use and sale. The state issued its first licenses – of which Cooke's was one – in July 2014.
Cooke was the first person to legally sell recreational marijuana in Island County. A store on Camano Island, Bud Hut, is in the permitting process, according to an email from Island County Director of Planning and Community Development. Two other retail licenses were issued by the state, though neither has opened or sold anything, based on the retail figures provided by the liquor control board. The store had two strains of marijuana on hand, with an order for seven more that Cooke and operations manager Drew Elliott hoped would be delivered over the weekend. As of publication, blackberry Kush and purple Afgani were the only flowers in stock, which range from $19 to $28 per gram – plus sales tax.
For those less interested in seeing their weed go up in smoke, four edibles await to both satisfy and induce the munchies. Elliott showed off four types: peanut butter cups, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies – with 10 grams in each package. Edibles cost $37.50, plus sales tax.
"Prices reflect the acquisition cost," said Casey Davidson, owner of Green Life Cannabis in Wenatchee, a longtime friend of Elliott's who was visiting the night before to help the Whidbey shop set up. His store has been open for two months and has seen its struggles in securing product, much like Cooke back in early July. But Davidson said things have since stabilized a bit, leading to what both he and Cooke said should be enough to satisfy a customer rush, should one come over the weekend.
"I expect we're going to be totally inundated," Cooke said Thursday, the day before opening, as she oversaw her four employees stocking and training on the do's and don'ts of weed sales. Examples of the don'ts: marijuana product may not be physically touched inside the store. Jars of the dried leaves, called flowers, are on display and may be opened for viewing and smelling, but not touching, according to the store's employees. The store also had paraphernalia for sale, including pipes, bongs and vaporizers, all of which ranged from $12 to $250 for a top-of-the-line vaporizer, colloquially called a vape.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Southwhidbeyrecord.com
Author: Ben Watanabe
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Whidbey's first retail pot store finally opens - South Whidbey Record
"It will be an interesting experiment," said Trimbath after sniffing the two strains available: blackberry Kush and purple Afgani. Whidbey Island Cannabis Company owner Maureen Cooke received her occupancy permit from Island County minutes before the 11 a.m. grand opening Oct. 24. She expected the first day to be "a zoo." "I can breathe now," said Cooke, after the first few transactions – all in cash.
As a few people lingered outside the frosted doors before 11 a.m., Cooke asked her employees if they were ready to open. With a few pensive smiles, a couple of knowing head shakes and a "not quite yet, give us five minutes," Cooke waited. What was another five minutes after a more than three-month wait? It took that time from receiving her state license by the Washington State Liquor Control Board in July to the time Island County finished its review of her application and site visits.
Whidbey Island Cannabis Company was issued a stop-work order in July by the Island County planning department for failing to apply and receive a proper building permit and go through a site review. In Washington, voters approved Initiative 501 in 2012 to legalize recreational marijuana use and sale. The state issued its first licenses – of which Cooke's was one – in July 2014.
Cooke was the first person to legally sell recreational marijuana in Island County. A store on Camano Island, Bud Hut, is in the permitting process, according to an email from Island County Director of Planning and Community Development. Two other retail licenses were issued by the state, though neither has opened or sold anything, based on the retail figures provided by the liquor control board. The store had two strains of marijuana on hand, with an order for seven more that Cooke and operations manager Drew Elliott hoped would be delivered over the weekend. As of publication, blackberry Kush and purple Afgani were the only flowers in stock, which range from $19 to $28 per gram – plus sales tax.
For those less interested in seeing their weed go up in smoke, four edibles await to both satisfy and induce the munchies. Elliott showed off four types: peanut butter cups, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies – with 10 grams in each package. Edibles cost $37.50, plus sales tax.
"Prices reflect the acquisition cost," said Casey Davidson, owner of Green Life Cannabis in Wenatchee, a longtime friend of Elliott's who was visiting the night before to help the Whidbey shop set up. His store has been open for two months and has seen its struggles in securing product, much like Cooke back in early July. But Davidson said things have since stabilized a bit, leading to what both he and Cooke said should be enough to satisfy a customer rush, should one come over the weekend.
"I expect we're going to be totally inundated," Cooke said Thursday, the day before opening, as she oversaw her four employees stocking and training on the do's and don'ts of weed sales. Examples of the don'ts: marijuana product may not be physically touched inside the store. Jars of the dried leaves, called flowers, are on display and may be opened for viewing and smelling, but not touching, according to the store's employees. The store also had paraphernalia for sale, including pipes, bongs and vaporizers, all of which ranged from $12 to $250 for a top-of-the-line vaporizer, colloquially called a vape.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Southwhidbeyrecord.com
Author: Ben Watanabe
Contact: Contact Us
Website: Whidbey's first retail pot store finally opens - South Whidbey Record
