Shoreline City Council Special Meeting Monday July 16, 2012

Notes from Shoreline City Council Special Meeting 
Monday July 16, 2012

By Devon Vose Rickabaugh

The City Council voted to adopt an ordinance governing land use for collective medical marijuana gardens and dispensaries. The gardens cannot be within 1000 feet of each other or schools. Only “ten qualifying patients would be allowed to produce, grow and deliver cannabis for medical use” at one time through these dispensaries. Councilmember Hall wanted to amend the ordinance before the vote to add a waiting period of 15 days between a patient leaving the garden and another patient allowed to join in order to prevent “thousands” of patients joining and dropping out in rapid succession. Mayor McGlashan said he would support the amendment and said the chief of police had requested such an amendment to give them more control over what goes on in the gardens. He said crime has not gone up which was a concern originally.

The other council members did not support the amendment. Councilmember McConnell said by requiring 15 days between patients the city was “not giving the dispensaries the ability to run their business and they will have to fold”. The owner of Pacific NW Medical dispensary concurred that by limiting his clientele it would make it tough for business. Councilmember Hall said the ordinance is about providing safe access to medicine not creating $100,000 industry which imports, sells and distributes marijuana. That’s not what voters’ initiative said” when they said they wanted access to medical marijuana. City Manager Underwood said the city has only received $5000 in sales tax from the dispensaries. The state gets 6.5% and the city .85% from taxing the gardens.

Mayor McGlashan said, “I don’t support what Kent has done, putting a moratorium on the dispensaries. I believe the law supports limited collective gardens, not generating sales tax.” He said he would ask the council to revisit it next year if no direction comes from the state. “I believe we should just legalize it but that’s a fight ahead of us”.