Whitman County commissioners will Tuesday consider renewing a moratorium on new or expanded marijuana business activity for another six months as officials grapple with how they might tighten restrictions on such operations. I wrote an overview of the issue in this week’s Inlander, looking at local concerns and how cannabis continues to divide agricultural communities in Washington state.
A hearing on the moratorium is set for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the commission chambers at the county courthouse in Colfax. Read the entire agenda here. Commissioners plan to extend the moratorium while planning officials continue working on language for new potential marijuana regulations.
The county planning commission will also discuss the newest draft regulations (see here) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Public Works Auditorium in Colfax.
Dewey Scientific, which has also applied for permits as Selway Holdings, had hoped to establish a new marijuana growing and processing facility south of Pullman. You can read the environmental permitting filings here. CEO Jordan Zager has previously stated they want to breed marijuana clones to sell to other growers and process plants into other products for distributing through retailers.
A recent county decision letter confirms Dewey Scientific can move forward with growing, but the company withdrew its request for rezoning to process marijuana amid unexpected community backlash.
“Our team at Dewey Scientific is continuing to build momentum, growing jobs and opportunity in our local community,” Zager wrote in a written statement. “With the County’s decision, we’re excited to leverage our unique value as a PhD-founded agricultural technology company to support farmers in a thriving statewide cannabis industry which contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue to the state each year.”
Neighbors and local leaders have organized in opposition to the new facility, citing an unchecked increase in such operations. The group, Citizens for a Healthy Palouse, has collected information on marijuana regulations and opposing statements.
Several of the county’s largest employers and institutions wrote in opposition to the project or calling for tighter regulations on marijuana activity, including Washington State University (WSU letter), the president of Schweitzer Engineering Labs (Schweitzer letter) and the CEO of Pullman Regional Hospital (Adams letter). You can read other community statements here.
Another local growing operation, Moonlight Growers, reported officials shut down their facility when the moratorium went into effect during a planned moved to consolidate with another producer. A WSU student interviewed Moonlight Growers on the conflict back in April. County officials say they later approved the move.
The state Liquor and Cannabis Board, which regulates marijuana production and commerce, lists 12 active growers in the county. You can see a map of all active growers here, as well as a map of retail shops here.
Read other local coverage of the moratorium at the Daily Evergreen, the Moscow-Pullman Daily News and the Whitman County Gazette.
The Associate Press also reported this week on a proposed overhaul of statewide marijuana regulations, including changes intended to increase female and minority ownership of cannabis enterprises.
The Municipal Research and Services Center, a Washington-based consulting group, outlines different approaches to local marijuana regulations here with a map comparing how cities and counties handle such operations. Statewide, regulations range from no special rules to complete bans.
Read previous county planning commissions meetings transcripts and permitting records here.