POULSBO - As Poulsbo continues to grapple with last year's amendment to the Medical Use of Cannabis Act, which allows collective cannabis gardens but not dispensaries, Initiative 502 on the Nov. 6 ballot calls for legalization of marijuana for adults 21 and older. Collective gardens, which allows 45 plants or 72 ounces of "usable cannabis" per garden, are the only legal access points to medical marijuana in the state. Patients can grow up to 15 plants individually. Initiative 502 would legalize marijuana for recreational use for adults 21 and older; decriminalize production, distribution and possession; and tax sales from state-licensed stores. [continues 966 words]
POULSBO -- Poulsbo's new zoning and code ordinances are ready for public review. The city's Planning Commission began reviewing the ordinances in March, and after meeting 14 times, directed planning staff to revise the ordinance with their recommended changes. The zoning code review began after the City Council approved the updated Comprehensive Plan in 2009. City planning consultant Karla Boughton said the Comprehensive Plan is policy language; now they are at the implementation step. The zoning code was last updated in 2001. [continues 205 words]
POULSBO - Poulsbo City Council members say they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The council discussed the current moratorium on allowing collective gardens for growing medical cannabis Wednesday night. The moratorium was set in September to buy the council time to interpret the law and decide if collective gardens fit into the city's zoning code. Planning Director Barry Berezowsky said allowing collective gardens is not a zoning issue. "If someone is manufacturing meth that's not my issue - it's a police issue," Berezowsky said. "The question is whether the facility established meets the requirements of the zoning code and the building code." Agricultural zones are currently in place. [continues 199 words]
SUQUAMISH -- The shooting of Thomas Anthony Black on Dec. 8 was found justified by the Kitsap County Prosecutor's review of the investigation. The pathologist found a high amount of methamphetamine in Black's system, which he reported as a contributing factor of his death. Prosecutor Russell Hague released his memorandum Feb. 3 after reviewing the Sheriff Department's investigative report for nearly one month. Black, 44, was killed Dec. 8 when police attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Stacy Callihoo, 42, who was in the Black home. The warrant was issued by Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribal Court and being served by Port Gamble S'Klallam, Suquamish and Kitsap County Sheriff's officers. [continues 718 words]
POULSBO -- The Poulsbo City Council unanimously approved a moratorium on medical marijuana collective gardens Wednesday, in the midst of unclear laws and jurisdiction. The moratorium closes a loophole allowing medicinal cannabis in city limits. The council previously approved a moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries in March; that moratorium expires in mid-September. Mayor Becky Erickson said in an interview the moratorium approved this week continues to disallow dispensaries, which are illegal under state law. "What we're trying to do is figure out the pieces of the law as it comes out of the Legislature," she said. "It's not a clear direction what [the state] is intending local jurisdiction can do." [continues 531 words]
