A cannabis plant sits among dozens of other plants of varying strains at the American Cannabis Corporation's grow operation near Rochester in May 2013. The grow operation led by Dennis Klamn and involves five other people.
In a special meeting called only to address recreational marijuana, the Centralia City Council approved an ordinance on Tuesday that will allow marijuana businesses to operate within city limits.
The tense 40-minute discussion ended with the council voting 5-2 to approve zoning that will allow, but restrict, zoning for recreational marijuana.
Councilman Bart Ricks and Mayor Bonnie Canaday voted against the ordinance. Councilors Gabe Anzelini, Ron Greenwood, John Emore, Lee Coumbs, and Patrick Gallagher voted in favor of it.
“We’ve gone back and forth a number of times, I’m not comfortable of being the entity in the middle where we approve something and later someone in the administration changes route. At this point, the industry is operating at the grace of the current administration; If they change their minds, that puts us in a awkward position,” Ricks said. “This is an ongoing issue where obviously a decision needs to be made, but I’m not sure a decision needs to be made today. I can't support going forward with this.”
“I sympathize with Councilor Ricks, but we’re being asked to regulate nonsense,” Gallagher said. “I think what’s put forward is a better grasp on nonsense or at least a better way to handle it. I think we’re being hung out to dry by agencies above us.”
The ordinance authorizes the production, processing and retail sales of recreational marijuana within the M-2 industrial areas of Centralia. It is an amended version of the zoning recommendations drafted by the planning commission in November. The changes will require Centralia’s two retail licensees to move to locations further out of the city than the addresses initially approved by the Washington State Liquor Control Board.
The council opted not to support the second option, which would have asked the planning commission to create a “recreational marijuana” production, processing and sales zone and would have allowed the retailers to stay in their currently approved locations.
With the ordinance's passage, the city’s moratorium was lifted and it is presumed that Perry Nelson will drop his lawsuit against the city.
Read Thursday’s edition of The Chronicle for more on the council’s decision.
