CITY ESTABLISHES RULES FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA GARDENS

The city can relax - Mukilteo City Council on Monday adopted
emergency interim regulations for medical marijuana gardens, which
are effective immediately.

At its last meeting on July 18, the council rejected an emergency
moratorium, or temporary ban, on medical marijuana "collective gardens."

"We are aware of the need, we are aware of the interest," said
Council President Richard Emery. "We're also aware of the concern of
how we manage our city."

"We would be better served as a community to have some way of
managing how that works."

Legally, the interim regulations may be in effect for up to six
months while the city has an opportunity to thoroughly research,
analyze and draft regulations.

Under the regulations, collective gardens are allowed only in light
industrial zones.

Any collective gardens are required be at least 500 feet away from
existing collective gardens, as well as schools, day cares, parks,
community centers, houses and apartment complexes.

Qualifying patients will need to comply with existing laws and submit
building plans for inspection. They will have to pay $333 to apply
for a Collective Garden Safety License, and renew it annually for the same fee.

Their operations also are required to be invisible to the public and
monitored by a security system.

A new state law allows qualifying patients to grow medical marijuana
together in a "collective garden." Up to 10 patients at a time may
grow up to 45 plant and 72 ounces of usable marijuana. Dispensaries
and grow farms, however, are still illegal in the state.

The law also authorizes cities to adopt and enforce zoning
requirements regarding the production of medical marijuana.

Several cities in Snohomish County - Everett, Lake Stevens,
Marysville and Snohomish - have passed moratoria in response to the
new law. City officials, including in Mukilteo, said they needed more
time to work on regulations.

Up until Monday, the Mukilteo had no zoning regulations for collective gardens.

Collective gardens established in the city before the city adopted
interim regulations are subject only to state regulations. Officials
said they are unaware of any collective gardens in Mukilteo.

The council declared Monday's adopted regulations an emergency with a
supermajority vote. Councilmember Tony Tinsley and Council Vice
President Jennifer Gregerson were in favor of the regulations, but
did not think their passage an emergency.

Gregerson said the public shouldn't be scared of medical marijuana
users, but start seeing them as people suffering from brain tumors,
multiple sclerosis or other life-threatening diseases.

"I know that there are patients that live in Mukilteo," she said.
"And they shouldn't have to drive to Shoreline or Seattle to get
medicine that they're allowed to use."

The council also set a public hearing for Sept. 6 in which to review
the regulations.

Seattle resident Philip Dawdy, of the Washington Cannabis
Association, spoke on Monday in support of the interim regulations
and a later review.

"They mirror some things we actually tried to do during session with
state licensed dispensaries, and it looks intelligent and quite
reasonable," he said.

Mayor Joe Marine encouraged the council to make the regulations
effective immediately, instead of waiting five days for them to take effect.

"Don't let another week go by where they could come in and put them
where ever they want," the mayor said. "That could very well happen."