MONROE - Pot smokers won't get to prove they're no couch potatoes, at least not for now. A 5K run aimed at having those involved in marijuana businesses, users and people who don't partake, huffing along together Saturday has been called off. The Farewell to Prohibition 5K at the Evergreen Speedway was to include live music and information booths about the pot industry as part of the after-race festivities. Former beauty-pageant queen Crystal Newton, of Monroe, said she spent thousands of dollars and many hours putting together the festival. But her efforts went up in smoke Wednesday. [continues 432 words]
Marijuana Businesses Already Operating and Those in the Permitting Process Before the Vote Are Mostly Unaffected. EVERETT - The Snohomish County Council on Wednesday voted 4-1 to ban new pot businesses in certain rural areas. The decision comes after nine months of public testimony from green-clad marijuana business supporters and neighbors opposed to their operations moving in nearby. The council essentially made permanent a moratorium that was first enacted last fall in response to resident concerns. The ban applies to new recreational marijuana businesses in so-called R-5 zones, rural areas where the county typically allows only one house per five acres. [continues 580 words]
One Grower Says Regulations, Taxes and a Volatile Market Are Making the New Marijuana "Green Economy" Just a Pipe Dream So Far. ARLINGTON - The farm near here looks much like its rural neighbors on Highway 9. But this one is under 24-hour surveillance. Signs outside a house and two buildings warn that guns and children are not allowed. As one approaches the locked doors of the operation, there is a faint smell of marijuana. Inside, about a dozen workers grow and harvest plants, package dry leaves and buds and prepare it for sale on the state's newly legal recreational marijuana market. The agricultural part of the operation is backed by a sophisticated business that is navigating a labyrinth of regulations, changing rules and nervous neighbors. [continues 1451 words]
The Planning Commission Will Hold a Hearing Today As It Seeks Recommendations for the County Council on Marijuana Businesses in Unincorporated Areas. EVERETT - Marijuana-enterprise owners are expected to plead for their businesses at a public hearing before the Snohomish County Planning Commission on Tuesday. Neighbors who oppose pot operations also plan to weigh in before the commission makes a recommendation to the County Council. The council asked for recommendations as it considers amending the rules for marijuana businesses in the spring. In October, the council imposed a temporary moratorium on new pot operations in some of the county's rural areas after some neighbors voiced opposition. [continues 803 words]
