Do West Richland residents still oppose cannabis stores? They have a chance to weigh in

West Richland voters have a unique opportunity to influence cannabis sales in their own city as well as in neighboring Richland in the Aug. 6 primary.

The West Richland City Council is asking its voters to share if they want the city to end its 10-year ban on cannabis sales. Proposition 1 asks voters to advise the council of their preference for or against allowing cannabis retail sales.

Ballots are being mailed , starting July 17.

The outcome is advisory only. The elected council is the city’s decision-making authority and it has not said if it will bind itself to the outcome of the vote.

West Richland isn’t the only city eager for input.

Richland city officials too will be watching the outcome for similar reasons: Richland and West Richland both received applications from cannabis retailers who want to end the bans and open stores in their jurisdictions.

Both cities enacted bans after 2012’s voter-approved Initiative 502 legalized recreational use in Washington.

West Richland’s ban was called into question in 2023.

Ken Weaver, owner of Slow Burn, a Yakima-based cannabis store, submitted an environmental impact report to Washington state the could have opened the door for it to allow retail sales in industrial areas that qualify under state law.

Slow Burn, with stores in Union Gap, Yakima and Moxee, asked West Richland to rezone certain areas to allow retail cannabis sales, with an eye toward opening a store of its own.

Last fall, the city’s planning commission voted 3-1 to recommend the city council approve the change. The council, faced with fierce opposition from some residents, opted to canvas voters for their thoughts.

Pros and cons

The voters pamphlet offers familiar arguments for and against cannabis sales.

Ending the sales ban would bring West Richland in line with the state and allow the city to tap into tax revenue generated within its jurisdiction. Supporters of ending the ban say it would generate $1.6 million over 10 years to support municipal spending on parks, recreation, roads and public safety.

Banning sales won’t keep marijuana out of West Richland, supporters assert in the voters guide .

“The West Richland City Council should not deny their residents their freedom of choice to purchase marijuana within their own community,” the pro argument goes.

Opponents counter that residents can avail themselves of Nirvana Cannabis Co., a legal store on Arena Road, just feet from the West Richland city limits in unincorporated Benton County.

Referring to cannabis as “pot,” opponents call it a gateway to substance abuse and mental health issues and say neighbors of Nirvana feel less safe and are affected by increased criminal activity.

“Widespread availability promotes the false perception that cannabis use is safe and without detrimental consequences. Strong evidence links marijuana to substance use dependency, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and suicide,” they wrote.

Tax bonanza?

The two sides differ on the possible benefit to the city treasury. . Supporters say the city stands to bring in $160,000 a year, a city-generated figure cited by the Washington CannaBusiness Association, while opponents say the benefit is overblown.

West Richland currently receives no tax revenue from legal cannabis sales.

Statewide customers have purchased more than $3.1 billion worth of cannabis and related products since legalization took effect in 2014 and the first quarter of this year, according to the state Department of Revenue.

Cannabis is subject to sales taxes and a 37% excise tax that generates hundreds of millions of dollars. The state distributed $11 million to cities and $11.1 million to counties last September.

Cannabis is not a major revenue source for local jurisdictions.

Benton County, for instance, received $450,000 in 2023. Franklin County and the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and West Richland received no money.

Aberdeen and Anacortes, with populations comparable to West Richland, received $57,400 and $43,000, respectively. Seattle, with 44 residents for every one in West Richland, received nearly $2 million.

Locally, Benton City received $5,900; Kahlotus $236; Mabton, $3,200; Mattawa, $5,600; Moxee, $12,300; Omak, Prosser, $23,300; Union Gap, $67,300; Walla Walla, $105,000; and Yakima, $258,100.

Richland is watching

Richland is watching the election because it faces a similar request to the one behind its neighbor’s ballot proposition.

In January, Fire Cannabis Co., with stores in Omak and Yakima, asked Richland to amend its code to allow a store at 2415 Robertson Drive, in the Horn Rapids Industrial Park.

The city council discussed the request in a workshop session, with the city attorney saying she would recommend a “no” vote because the request wouldn’t create the proper legal framework for legal sales.

The council informally indicated it is 4-3 in favor of keeping ban, but would watch the West Richland vote with interest. No additional action has happened since then.

Fire Cannabis owner Shanna Kaiser previously confirmed the application is on hold while the city takes a larger look at the issue.

“We want to be good partners with the city and council, and understand that they are taking this under consideration on a global level, notably we understand that they are watching West Richland outcomes for guidance,” she told the Tri-City Herald in late June.

Only registered voters who live in West Richland will see the question on their ballots.

Uneasy history

The August primary ballot echoes the uneasy history between the Tri-Cities and legal cannabis.

Cannabis is legal statewide. Any adult consumer may possess it. But cities and counties govern whether retailers may sell it in their jurisdictions.

Residents of communities that ban it are free to purchase it elsewhere and bring it home.

But I-502 was unpopular in the Mid-Columbia, with a majority of voters in both Benton and Franklin counties rejecting legalization. Most, though not all local jurisdictions, opted to ban marijuana sales, the now-discredited term for cannabis .

Franklin County together with the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and West Richland banned sales.

Benton County followed suit, but only after stores opened in unincorporated pockets near Kennewick and West Richland and in the Prosser area.

Whatever West Richland or Richland do, they won’t be the first — Pasco and Benton City both removed their bans.

The state has authorized three stores in Pasco. Two opened last November.

Green2Go Recreational is led by Steve Lee, and Lucky Leaf is led by David Morgan. The tax benefits to Pasco won’t be clear until September, when the state makes its annual cannabis distributions.

Aug. 6th vote

Ballots must be returned or postmarked by Aug. 6.

To register or to update voter registration go to votewa.gov through July 29. Otherwise you can register in person at your county auditor’s office up til 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Benton County auditor’s offices are at 2618 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Richland, and 620 Market St., Prosser.

In Franklin County, the auditor’s office is at the county courthouse, 1016 N. Fourth Ave., Suite A206, Pasco.

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