MARIJUANA DISPENSARY EYES BAY ST. LOCATION

The city of Port Orchard received a certificate of occupancy permit
application on March 1 from Greenthumb Medical, which proposes to
operate a medical marijuana dispensary on Bay Street despite a
just-enacted six-month moratorium on such facilities.

The owners propose to "specialize in authorizations for medical
marijuana," according to the project description.

They took over the lease last month," said the building's owner, who
did not wish to be named. "I don't know if they are in business as of
now, or if they're in the process of waiting."

The permit application for the dispensary lists its location as 944
Bay Street, Suite 200, on the upper level.

They got connected to me through a realtor," said the owner. "I've
asked around to my friends, and they say it's something that's common
now because of some legislation not too long ago."

Port Orchard's city council voted on Feb. 22 to adopt an emergency
moratorium on applications for building and land-use permits for
marijuana businesses and dispensaries in the city.

This is to maintain the status quo while we look at alternatives,"
said Greg Jacoby, the city's attorney. "This gives you options as we
see what develops in Olympia and elsewhere."

The legality of medical marijuana dispensaries is unclear under
Washington state's current laws, so some municipalities have deemed
them to be legal while others have not.

It says that, if you are going to have a dispensary, you can provide
marijuana to one person at a time," said Jacoby at a work-study
session on Feb. 15.

Different areas have interpreted the phrase "one person at a time" to
mean different things, but state lawmakers are considering a law to
legalize the dispensaries under certain conditions.

The Senate bill would create a licensing system for people that
produce process and dispense marijuana," said Jacoby. "It would allow
dispensaries, but they would have to be nonprofit, and there would be
a whole registration process with the Department of Health.

It seems to have support from officials in both Seattle and Tacoma,"
he said. "I have no idea if it's likely to pass."

But regardless of whether or not it passes, marijuana dispensaries
are officially on hold in Port Orchard.

The moratorium doesn't allow us to process any permits, applications
or licenses that have medical marijuana listed on them," said James
Weaver, the city's development director. "Green Thumb did, so we sent
them a letter saying that the dispensary is on hold."

A public hearing about the moritorium is scheduled for March 22 at 7
p.m. at Port Orchard's City Hall.