The numbers are in: Seattle is planned to have 21 legal marijuana retail locations starting in 2014. 40 additional stores could dot King County, and there will be 334 legal pot retail locations allowed statewide. The numbers were announced Wednesday after the Washington State Liquor Control Board passed its final proposed rules on the legal pot industry. Insiders expect the new stores to be open by June 2014.
While it’s still not clear how many pot stores Capitol Hill will have and where they’ll be located, some changes in the proposals make it even more likely that pot entrepreneurs will find a home in the neighborhood. Responding to complaints that the planned 1,000-foot “as the crow flies” buffer around schools and parks is too restrictive, the board has proposed a change in the way marijuana-free zone will be measured. The new measurement will allow the permitted 1,000 feet along a “common path” between parks and schools instead of a hard-fast marijuana-restricted circle. The change could allow an area like Broadway to be in the mix for possible pot stores if city restrictions are lifted. 15th Ave E and E Olive Way have the only areas where pot retailing would be allowed on Capitol Hill under the currently planned restrictions.
Looking back at pre-privatization liquor store locations may also provide clues. The density of retail pot locations will roughly resemble the density of state-run and contract liquor stores prior to I-1183, according to WSLCB spokesperson Brian Smith. Capitol Hill had two liquor store locations in 2012.
The news comes less than week after the federal government announced it would keep its nose out of Washington’s legal marijuana business, a major go-ahead for entrepreneurs who had been waiting to plan for new marijuana retail businesses.
The City of Seattle, acting on the state framework and federal concerns, has introduced Marijuana Zoning Restrictions. This map shows where — without any changes to the restrictions as currently planned in the city — pot retail appears to be viable in Seattle. Let the real estate land rush for 15th Ave e and E Olive Way begin…
Also included in the WSLCB rules were limits on production, grows, and permits. Total annual pot production in the state will be capped at 40 tons or 1.4 million ounces. The numbers were based off consumption data gathered by the state’s researcher. According to the consumption data, the state currently consumes 165 tons of marijuana. Nearly one quarter of that is consumption by minors. Another major chunk is medical marijuana consumption. Removing those users from their calculation, the state’s contractor estimates the legal market could serve about one quarter of the current annual consumption.
By the rules, marijuana grows will be regulated in three tiers: under 2,000 square feet, 2,000-10,000 square feet, and 10,000-30,000 square feet, with 30,000 square feed being the maximum grow size. The liquor board capped the total grow space in the state at 2 million square feet, about the size of 35 football fields.
Meanwhile, don’t expect QFC to stock weed According to state law, marijuana retailers can only sell marijuana and marijuana infused products.
And finally, free customer samples will not be permitted under the state’s legal pot laws. However, growers, producers, and retailers may give out freebies amongst themselves “for the purpose of negotiating a sale.”
A series of public hearings will be held and the board could adopt the rules as early as mid October. The licenses are expected to be awarded by the end of the year.
Mmm….very interesting. If current consumption is 165 tons of pot, and the retail sales will total 40 tons….where will the difference (125 tons) come from? It’s not likely that somehow total consumption will decrease, in fact it will probably increase. The answer to my question, obviously, is that the 125 tons (or more) will be on the illegal market, just as it is now. So what have we accomplished by legalization?
It says in the article. A quarter of that figure is use by minors, which will still be illegal. The rest is medical, which is not covered by the cap.
[…] Seattle gets 21 of 334 marijuana retail stores … er, pot shopsSeattle Post Intelligencer (blog)21 marijuana stores planned for Seattle, 1000-foot rule changedCHS Capitol Hill SeattleBellingham Herald -KING5.comall 60 news […]
Everyone knows that 90% of people with “medical” pot are really just recreational users. With production limits this low the black market will continue to thrive.
Everyone knows,?, how is that determined?
Want to get rid of the illegal market?,allow adults to grow their own.
Please Herb, of course everyone knows. You don’t need studies or proof to figure it out. In getting the medical use passed there was plenty of testimony from people with debilitating conditions like cancer, etc. A lot of them tend to be older people. Yet, if you see who patronizes the medical dispensaries, it’s a steady stream of people in their 20’s. One of my favorite vietnamese restaurants is located right next to a MMJ dispensary. I’ve never (ever) seen any older people going in. I’m sure there must be some, but not many. It’s certainly possible for people in their 20’s to have such conditions, but let’s not pretend they’re the majority. Nobody believes it, whether there’s solid evidence or not. It’s pretty much a moot point now anyway.
Thanks, Jim. Medical marijuana “authorizations” have been extremely easy to get. Many dispensaries offer on-site authorizations where the only thing you need do is pay a fee…..if you want confirmation of this, just look at some of the dispensary ads. The “medical evaluation” these places do is a joke.
One thing good about legalization is that most of these sketchy dispensaries will go out of business.
According to the law a person must have a documented qualifying medical condition to have a MedMJ reccomendation from their Dr. I have been a MedMJ person for the last 5 years,most of the people I know who use MJ have a Dr’s rec,most are Seniors and most grow thier own. I know one 22 year old who has a MedMJ rec. He has Chrons disease. I’m sure their are some who abuse the system,but I don’t believe it’s anywhere close to 90%.
But most people seeking an authorization do NOT go to their primary care provider, because they know they are much less likely to get an OK from someone who actually knows them and their medical conditions. Instead, they go to a “rent-a-doc” at a marijuana dispensary, have a cursory/quick/incomplete medical evaluation, pay a (substantial) fee, and get their medical pot card.
Everyone I know who has a MedMJ card had to provide medical records.
I don’t think that 90% of the MedMJ people are frauds,maybe 90% of those
under 25.
First sentence of the second paragraph seems to be missing a word or two.
Thanks
[…] marijuana into state-licensed stores by June 1, some 20 months after voters legalized …21 marijuana stores planned for Seattle, 1000-foot rule changedCHS Capitol Hill SeattleRecreational Marijuana Could Be On Sale In Washington By Early […]
Can someone please tell me why they remove medical marijuana patients from their calculations? In WA, medical usage is legal, and there are rumors that powers-that-be are going to be targeting those who are currently producing medical marijuana. If that’s true, it’s going to force patients into the recreational market, which means that they will be forcing under-production.
[…] Written by Paul Dzirvinskis on September 5th, 2013 The numbers are in: Seattle is planned to have 21 legal marijuana retail locations starting in 2014. 40 additional stores could dot King County, and there will be 334 legal pot retail locations allowed statewide. The numbers were announced Wednesday after the Washington State Liquor Control Board passed its final proposed rules on the legal pot industry. Insiders expect the new stores to be open by June 2014. While it’s still not clear how many pot stores Capitol Hill will have and where they’ll be located, some changes in the proposals make it even more likely that pot entrepreneurs will find a home in the neighborhood. Responding to complaints that the planned 1,000-foot “as the crow flies” buffer around schools and parks is too restrictive, the board has proposed a change in the way marijuana-free zone will be measured. The new measurement will allow the permitted 1,000 feet along a “common path” between parks and schools instead of a hard-fast marijuana-restricted circle. The change could allow an area like Broadway to be in the mix for possible pot stores. The liquor board also decided that 1,000 foot buffers between pot shops and schools and parks would be determined by a common path of travel and not as the crow flies. Looking back at pre-privatization liquor store locations may also provide clues. The density of retail pot locations will roughly resemble the density of state-run and contract liquor stores prior to I-1183, according to WSLB spokesperson Brian Smith. Capitol Hill had two liquor store locations in 2012. Read more: http://www.capitolhillseattle.com […]
I predict the Pike/Pine corridor will have a high percentage of the Cap Hill stores. Pun intended (sorry!).
And yes, many (most?) MM card holders are just recreational users. how could anyone believe otherwise when MM card holders freely give advice on public websites about how to invent a medical condition that will get you a card?
I agree that that low cap kind of defeats the purpose, as it clearly won’t meet even current demand, meaning the black market this is partially meant to shrink will continue to thrive. Though I wonder how they’ll be tracking this 40 tons restriction. Oh, well. “Legalization” is a good moral victory? A step in the right direction? At least they relaxed that ridiculous 1000 ft rule a bit, so sometimes logic does hold sway. I can only imagine the hue and cry if alcohol production/distribution were capped. I wonder if Colorado is handling this in a more reasonable manner?
Oh, and near the bottom I think the sentence that reads, “According to state law, marijuana retailers can only sell marijuana and marijuana infused products” should actually read “…only marijuana retailers can sell…” Unless there’s a restriction on the types of products a marijuana retailer can sell (no t-shirts, water pipes, hemp jewelry, cheetos?)
[…] this month, the liquor board announced the state would permit 21 marijuana retail locations in Seattle and 334 statewide. Even with a straight line buffer rule, Staley said finding a Capitol Hill area in the clear for […]
[…] many existing dispensaries would be forced to close under this plan. Seattle, for instance, will only allow 21 retail shops, yet there are roughly 200 dispensaries currently operating in the city. All collective gardens […]