Thurston County commissioners discussed regulations in other jurisdictions relating to marijuana operations at a work session on Wednesday, April 19.
Washington counties have their own regulations and zoning restrictions concerning marijuana operations, each created at a different point in time since recreational use was legalized.
As Thurston County commissioners look to draft a permanent ordinance on zoning, a clear path has yet to develop.
“What we are looking for is what would work best for them,” Commissioner Gary Edwards said. “We have not come up with what works best for Thurston County.”
On Wednesday, the commissioners were briefed on the regulations in surrounding counties. Thurston County has a set of interim regulations, which are set to expire early next month.
A public hearing will be held on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Thurston County Courthouse Building 1, Room 280. The focus will be on extending those regulations an additional six months or until the commission passes a permanent ordinance.
Commissioners hope to get feedback on the proposed changes in the interim regulations to allow growing cooperatives in the county and to limit them to 10. A cooperative is limited to four people with each person limited to 15 plants for a maximum of 60. It must be licensed with the State Liquor and Cannabis Control Board and it must be located at one of the member’s residence.
Edwards said no single county had the perfect set of rules for Thurston County because each county’s rules were adopted at different times and seemed to be in reaction to unique situations. However, he said Pierce and Kitsap counties have relevant policies because they only allow production and processing in industrial zones, which is where it is permitted in Thurston County, as well as in commercial zones.
Commissioner John Hutchings is unsure of what the next step is. However he — along with Edwards — hopes to allow it in the county because it was supported in 2012 with 55 percent of the vote.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Lewis County had a series of moratoriums on growers and processors in unincorporated areas of the county. Later, county commissioners passed an ordinance stating the county would issue a permit if the applicant obtained approval from the federal government. The federal government doesn’t provide such permits.
Hutchings found this to be absurd and said it was similar to “go ask your mother.”
“The Thurston County commissioners are not looking to shut down any processors, retailers or producers,” Hutchings said. “I do not want to be the marijuana hub of Washington state and I don’t think that is going to happen.”
Aside from zoning and permitting, Hutchings would like to see more state funds raised through the sales tax on marijuana come to the county. Currently the county receives $108,000 annually from the state, which raises over $10 million annually from state wide sales. The funds are earmarked for education to explain the effects of marijuana use.
“A lot of people are getting the wrong information,” he said.
Hutchings said many people, especially children, believe it is not a drug and using it does not have any health risks.
