Looks like the Clark County Commission has banned marijuana facilities – growers, processors and retail stores – in unincorporated parts of the county (see Tyler Graf’s story below).

The ruling won’t affect the six stores in Vancouver or the one in Battle Ground that are moving forward, but it wouldn’t be surprising if some legal challenges follow the commission’s ruling. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

What do you all think of the ban? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Cheers,
-SueVo

Clark County commissioners ban marijuana

By Tyler Graf, Columbian county government reporter
Published: May 27, 2014, 2:10 PM

Clark County commissioners voted Tuesday to ban recreational marijuana facilities in unincorporated Clark County.

The vote came after a raucous public meeting in the county’s Public Service Center. At one point, deputies from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office were called in following words, including one audience member referring to another as a “phony and a liar.”

Another audience member elicited gasps when he swore and said he wold “rape the county financially.”

Initiative 502, which legalized possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana for adults ages 21 and older, was approved by voters in 2012.

The Liquor Control Board has capped the maximum number of pot shops statewide at 334 and said Clark County could be home to up to 15 marijuana retailers, including six in the unincorporated areas where commissioners have control. The rest would be in cities: six stores in Vancouver and one store apiece in Camas, Washougal and Battle Ground.

Commissioners signaled earlier this year that they were considering a ban.