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Seattle Mayor Ed
Murray outlined a series of regulatory changes in how cannabis
operations will do business in the city, saying the rules will
improve the marketplace for patients who depend on medical
marijuana.
"We’re strengthening the recreational marijuana market and
creating safer, more consistent access for those who rely on
medicinal products,” Murray said at a news conference.
While marijuana remains illegal under federal law, voters in
Washington state and Colorado approved recreational cannabis use
in landmark votes in 2012 that ushered in retail stores offering
a range of products to adults.
But in Washington, a loosely controlled medical marijuana
industry legalized in 1998 has run alongside the highly taxed
and regulated recreational-use system.
Last month, Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill to overhaul the
medical industry to move it in line with the recreational
marketplace.
The changes in Seattle, which will take place over the next 13
months, are part of an effort to transition medical businesses
into the framework of the recreational law, city leaders said.
The new rules, expected to be approved by the City Council, will
require both medical and recreational storefronts to obtain
business licenses specific to the industry.
Storefronts doing business without a license will be able to
apply for a city or state permit by July, 2016. Dozens of
businesses that cannot obtain a license or that have been doing
business without paying taxes will close, Holmes said.
City officials said there are currently about 300 medical
operations in Seattle.
The changes also include enforcement action aimed at preventing
medical sales to people under the age of 21 and non-qualifying
patients.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Seattle; Editing by Michael
Perry)
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