PASCO CAN BENEFIT FROM MARIJUANA TAXES, MAN SAYS

A Pasco man and medical marijuana user urged the Pasco City Council
to set up rules to allow collective gardens for patients so the city
can benefit from taxing their use.

Council members Monday discussed how to move forward after passing a
six-month moratorium on starting shared gardens last month.

A state law that went into effect July 22 changes the voter-approved
initiative that allows authorized patients to use cannabis to treat
some terminal and chronic illnesses to instead allow a single garden
to have up to 45 plants grown by 10 patients collectively.

But it still is up to the cities to decide how and where they want to
allow the gardens. Cities can use a moratorium as a six-month
breather while they decide how to apply zoning, taxation, business
licensing and public health and safety regulations.

Pasco, Kennewick, Richland and West Richland all passed moratoriums
on shared gardens.

The state law has few restrictions, limiting only the number of
plants and specifying the gardens not be in public view.

Right now, patients can't get medical marijuana legally unless they
grow it themselves and can have up to 15 plants, said Jerrold Forsyth
of Pasco, the medical marijuana patient who spoke at the meeting.

That means some patients get it from drug dealers, he explained.
Instead, he said, the city should be receiving revenue through taxes.

Forsyth said he already has the state Department of Agriculture
license that would allow him to grow a collective garden if the city
passes legislation allowing it. That's a requirement for operating a
shared grow and doesn't mean much unless the city approves rules
allowing the grows in the city.

Forsyth said he has used marijuana medically for about five years. It
has helped him control pain from Marfan's syndrome, a genetic
disorder that affects connective tissues.

Forsyth admitted there were issues that needed be considered under a
moratorium, but asked that the city council set up regulations for
collective gardens as soon as possible.

Figuring out how to reconcile federal law -- where growing, selling
and possessing marijuana is a felony -- with state law allowing
collective grows is part of why the city needs the moratorium, said
Gary Crutchfield, Pasco city manager.

Crutchfield said the issue would come before the council again Sept.
6 at the next regular meeting.

The council can choose to approve rules and end the moratorium prior
to the end of the six-month period, he said.

Also Monday:

- -- The council voted 5 to 2 to support the 0.3 percent criminal
justice sales tax measure on the November ballot. If approved, the
revenue would pay for a new and expanded county jail, Pasco Municipal
Court space, a Pasco police station and gang suppression. Councilmen
Tom Larsen and Bob Hoffmann opposed the measure.

- -- Pasco will move forward on negotiating an interlocal agreement to
provide sewer to the Port of Walla Walla's Burbank Industrial Park
after the council approved the main concepts of a proposal in a 6-1
vote, with Larsen dissenting.