Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
A pot shop is taking shots at Pierce County's ban on recreational marijuana stores. The owners of The Gallery are planning to open the store at noon on Saturday, in direct violation of county codes.
Its co-owners say The Gallery recreational marijuana store is the only one of its kind with its art gallery theme. It's also the only one of its kind in Pierce County because it's the only one trying to open in spite of the county's ban.
Pot shop co-owner, Tedd Wetherbee said Friday, "We're licensed by the State to do business. We're doing absolutely nothing illegal."
Wetherbee and co-owner Mike Henery said they were awarded the state license Monday, and decided to say "heck with the county," especially after seeing scores of medical marijuana stores up and down the street.
Henery said, "We didn't want to open illegally, but when we were building this out and we were seeing illegal stores up and down, we decided the State says 'this is okay thing to do,' and we will go ahead and do it."
They've watched as other recreational marijuana stores have opened locally, such as one in Tacoma where even the mayor rolled out the welcome mat.
Last August, Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland said, "We want to show people we're going to do this the right way in Tacoma. It's going to be safe. It's going to be responsible, and it's going to accessible."
But so far it has only been accessible in a few cities in Pierce County. Wetherbee and Henery's Fife location is still empty because of Fife's ban, which was upheld by a Pierce County superior court judge.
Why not open the Fife store with the same defiance? Wetherbee said, "I think challenging a small municipality with plenty of time and resources to burn on this issue would not be the way we wanted to go."
While they want to challenge Pierce County's ban, they're not challenging the rules of Initiative 502 which say you need a registered license before you can order cannabis. And even then there's a 24-hour waiting period.
"We're not rule breakers," Henery said.
Of the ordeal, the Pierce County Executive's Office said Friday, "This just came to our attention a couple of days ago. The County Executive will consult with the County Council and Prosecuting Attorney to determine our response."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Pot store to open Saturday despite Pierce County ban | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News
Author: Keith Eldridge
Contact: tips@komo4news.com
Photo Credit: KOMO News
Website: Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News
Its co-owners say The Gallery recreational marijuana store is the only one of its kind with its art gallery theme. It's also the only one of its kind in Pierce County because it's the only one trying to open in spite of the county's ban.
Pot shop co-owner, Tedd Wetherbee said Friday, "We're licensed by the State to do business. We're doing absolutely nothing illegal."
Wetherbee and co-owner Mike Henery said they were awarded the state license Monday, and decided to say "heck with the county," especially after seeing scores of medical marijuana stores up and down the street.
Henery said, "We didn't want to open illegally, but when we were building this out and we were seeing illegal stores up and down, we decided the State says 'this is okay thing to do,' and we will go ahead and do it."
They've watched as other recreational marijuana stores have opened locally, such as one in Tacoma where even the mayor rolled out the welcome mat.
Last August, Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland said, "We want to show people we're going to do this the right way in Tacoma. It's going to be safe. It's going to be responsible, and it's going to accessible."
But so far it has only been accessible in a few cities in Pierce County. Wetherbee and Henery's Fife location is still empty because of Fife's ban, which was upheld by a Pierce County superior court judge.
Why not open the Fife store with the same defiance? Wetherbee said, "I think challenging a small municipality with plenty of time and resources to burn on this issue would not be the way we wanted to go."
While they want to challenge Pierce County's ban, they're not challenging the rules of Initiative 502 which say you need a registered license before you can order cannabis. And even then there's a 24-hour waiting period.
"We're not rule breakers," Henery said.
Of the ordeal, the Pierce County Executive's Office said Friday, "This just came to our attention a couple of days ago. The County Executive will consult with the County Council and Prosecuting Attorney to determine our response."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Pot store to open Saturday despite Pierce County ban | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News
Author: Keith Eldridge
Contact: tips@komo4news.com
Photo Credit: KOMO News
Website: Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News
