As leaders in the City of Lakewood, Washington consider the ten pages (pp.090-100), and two options of either allowing or prohibiting retail marijuana, even as we head toward Super Bowl 52, there is a new player that may suit up and enter the game should House Bill 2336 succeed in this current legislative session: the people watching from the stands.
Rep. David Sawyer, D-Parkland, and Rep. Cary Condotta, R-East Wenatchee, have joined forces with fellow signers-on, to initiate legislation that would permit “cities, towns, and counties to prohibit the production, processing, or sale of marijuana” by public vote through the initiative process.
All Lakewood’s deliberations may be for naught.
Lakewood’s Planning Commission met this past January 17 to address their City Council-assigned task of reviewing marijuana options (p.045). That evening, during the Public Hearing, former Lakewood Deputy Mayor John Arbeeny’s 17-point indictment of the marijuana industry was read into the record.
Lakewood United has scheduled a debate February 22 between those for and against marijuana.
The Clover Park School Board has concerns as expressed in its Lakewood’s Promise report (p.024).
It’s a gridiron classic.
And perhaps, if Sawyer and Condotta are successful with HB2336, the outcome may be decided not by the usual playmakers, but by the ticket-buyers: the taxpayers, the voters, the people who want to maintain the homefield advantage, i.e. maintain the home/community the way they want it to be.
This is the same Sawyer and Condotta who created House Bill 1099 that would have forced Lakewood (the bill failed to make it out of committee) to “take an official stance on retail pot or forgo 70 percent of state distributed liquor revenues.”
This is also the same Sawyer and Condotta who have crafted HB 2124 which “would stop the state from helping the feds with activities that might interfere with the state’s legal marijuana industry.”
After all, said Condotta, “we’re trying to keep this industry intact.”
Dependent – as in addicted – is the way Clay Hill of the Association of Washington Business basically put in when speaking Jan. 16 at a committee hearing in Olympia in support of HB 2124, “the state pot industry protection measure.”
Said Hill, as reported by Debbie Cockrell, Tacoma News Tribune, “We’re sort of reliant on this revenue now.”
But, in the interest of fair play, and being representative and all, Sawyer and Condotta have proposed legislation (HB2336) that would give any individual, in any city, town or county – regardless of whether those jurisdictions possess the powers of Initiative or Referendum – an opportunity to enter the fray and toss the ball, and maybe toss marijuana as well.
It took the people of Lakewood two years (2003-2005) doggedly pursuing a ground-and-pound, smash-mouth, running-with-the-rock game plan by which to convince a belligerent-then-beleaguered City Council to relent and then rely on the outcome of an advisory vote to permit or reject the right of the people – a right enjoyed by the top tier of Washington cities – to directly propose legislation or overturn decisions of the city council – Initiative and Referendum, respectively.
In November of 2005, in one of the largest landslides in Lakewood’s voting history – before or since, including even votes cast for unchallenged city council incumbents – the people of Lakewood voted 8,193 to 3,092, a whopping 70 percent in favor – to take their rightful place as master, not servant, and join the ranks of those for whom “the first power (is) reserved by the people: the initiative,” the second being referendum (Amendment 72, 1981, Substitute Senate Joint Resolution No.133, p.1796, Approved November 3, 1981).
Now, however, should the people throughout the State of Washington score a Minnesota Vikings-like end-of-game Hail Mary game-winning touchdown by way of a passed HB2336, then everyone, in every city, town or county, will have an opportunity to eject the marijuana industry from the field of play.
What a crock. We need to get some cannabis stores here in Lakewood. Say no to these nanny state Republicans that want to go against the will of the people.
Mr. Anderson,
Thank you for your well thought out and documented report on what is happening in the world of money and dope.
While Lakewood dopers want convenient Lakewood dope, the rest of us do not.
I might be okay with losers smoking all the dope they want if only they would keep it to themselves inside their homes with their windows closed, but once they think dope is legal, they quickly demonstrate a further pattern of bad decision making and bad behavior by smoking pot in their cars with the windows rolled down. They can’t even manage stupid intelligently.
The number of fatalities for dopers who live in legal dope states is starting to head towards double. If an adult elects to smoke dope and kill themselves, I will not complain. But if the doper takes out some innocent non-doper, then I call that a “crock”.
Joseph Boyle
Of course the number of “dopers” dying is headed toward double. More people are using marijuana. These deaths you site are not even marijuana related. You have to have a better argument than that. Stop looking at these people as criminals, just because they use does not make them any less capable to carrying on a normal life. I can probably find something that everyone does that I don’t like and chose to vote against it just cause I don’t like it. I could put my nose into business that doesn’t pertain to me, or I can realize that other people have their own lives and make their own decisions. More importantly I can choose not to worry about something so petty, and lead a happier life not worrying about the decisions others make.
Re: Josef Boyle
1. Cannabis is legal in the state of Washington
2. Washington voters and Pierce County/Lakewood voters alike think adults should have access to legal cannabis
3. Your statistic about fatalities is off/misleading – surprise surprise
4. Places with legal cannabis have less FATALITIES from ‘real’ dope – prescription heroin-substitutes drugs such as OxyContin and Vicodin.
5. People shouldn’t lock themselves inside with their curtains drawn to enjoy some weed on their own time – if you don’t like our society and how people enjoy themselves, go live up in the mountains by yourself. Do you have the same puritanical outrage if your neighbor is drinking a beer in their yard while on painkillers? Of course not.
People like you are what’s wrong with this country.
Steve, allow me to better understand the issues here. Mr. Anderson and Mr. Boyle believe that cannabis should continue to be an illegal substance and have delineated their reasonings. You believe that since it’s not an illegal substance, it should be readily accessible in the city in which you reside. And since it’s not, you’re unhappy about that. But I think I can be of assistance.
The closest cannabis outlet to Lakewood residents is Clear Choice Cannabis whose address is 8001 Hosmer Street in Tacoma (near Pro Bass Shop). From my residence, it’s a 5 mile drive with an estimated driving time of 14 minutes. Not too bad. Now, the Lakewood city limit nearest to Clear Choice Cannabis is at 2410 84th Street–the site of Regal Cinemas–and that’s a 1/2 mile drive with an estimated driving time of 2 minutes. Even better. So, help me out here. If the Lakewood City Council allowed a cannabis outlet to be established adjacent to 2410 84th Street, you’d be happy. Correct? But since the council has disallowed a cannabis outlet, you in essence are having to drive an additional 1/2 mile (or 2 minutes), assuming you purchase your cannabis from Clear Choice, and this is the source of your unhappiness. Correct?
Steve, perhaps you should consider moving to Tacoma. How about this: buy a tent from Pro Bass Shop, set it up in the Clear Choice Cannabis parking lot (next to the homeless dudes), and never again would you be inconvenienced. Good idea?
Steve, I’ve given further thought to your dilemma (unable to purchase cannabis in Lakewood), since I ran into a similar obstacle. So maybe you’re right after all.
I fell into some money late last year so decided to purchase some neat Christmas gifts for my son and daughter. My son has always wanted a Cessna airplane, while my daughter has begged me for a Tesla. Get this. There isn’t a Cessna dealer in Lakewood, so I had to drive all the way to Walla Walla to purchase the model my son wanted. And then, of all things, there’s no Tesla dealer in Lakewood either! The closest dealer is located in Bellevue, so I had to drive there. That’s bull. You’re right–Lakewood stinks.
I live at Lake Steilacoom in Lakewood – Clear Choice is like a full 15 minute drive from here. (Which is almost an hour round trip because they always have a long line there.)
There’s no reason we can’t have cannabis shops here in Lakewood in the town center or along Steilacoom blvd. somewhere.
Lakewood is the big loser here, though. When we go to Clear Choice, we also go out to eat and shop near there. We may go to Famous Dave’s instead of Burr’s, we may shop at Fred Meyer in Tacoma instead of Albertson’s in Lakewood… the city is losing tax revenue twice and also just losing business overall.
(Some people still just buy it from the black market here, which helps keep that element going)
It’s a considerable trip from where I am in Lakewood to Clear Choice (~20 minutes each way) and there’s no reason we can’t have shops in the town center or along Steilacoom blvd somewhere.
Not to mention that every time we go to Clear Choice, we also end up eating somewhere like Famous Dave’s instead of Burr’s and shopping at somewhere like Fred Meyer instead of Albertson’s here in town. Lakewood is missing on all that business and tax revenue by forcing my family and people like us to go shop in other places on the weekends. This hurts Lakewood business owners and in turn all Lakewood residents because it needlessly retards the local economy.
Legal yet regulated locally
Here are a few issues regarding MJ from a personal experience, legal and economic perspective. I served in Vietnam for 26 months, smoked MJ on several occasions there and saw the impact on those who smoked it regularly. It didn’t take me long to realize I didn’t have to do that to be accepted or how potentially damaging it was to me and those around me. I also had problems in my own family dealing with teen use of the drug. It isn’t something I’d recommend to anyone or for government to support. Here are some points to consider.
1. MJ is most likely physiologically addictive and is certainly psychologically addictive.
2. MJ is often a gateway drug to hard drug use. While many MJ users do not “graduate” to hard drugs, almost without exception hard drug users started with MJ.
3. Any time you inhale smoke you are inhaling carcinogens and noxious gases.
4. MJ has many physiological and psychological effects. It alters reality, values, slows down reaction time, sleepiness, giddiness, and can result in withdrawal and psychotic reactions.
5. When you’re high from any source you are in an under-achieving state and a potential threat to the health and safety of yourself and those around you. Aren’t those normally grounds for commitment?
6. MJ much more so that alcohol will become the drug of choice, especially for children since it is far smaller, concealable and cheaper that a 6 pak.
7. A black market will develop and traffic MJ to those under 21.
8. MJ is retained in the body long after the joint is smoked.
9. Driving with any MJ in your system is DUI.
10. Drug tests for employment may detect MJ and ruin another wise good application.
11. MJ possession and sale are still Federal crimes which could be enforced.
12. The permissive government attitude and selective enforcement of laws under Obama are over. Sanctuary cities might be first on Trumps agenda but MJ could be focus in future. AG Sessions has already made this abundantly clear.
13. Just as the Justice Department has threatened government leaders in “sanctuary cities” with prosecution for violating Federal immigration law, one could expect the same for those violating Federal drug laws.
14. Consider a citizen who is harmed by an illegal alien in a sanctuary city or harmed by someone under the influence of MJ purchased in a city approved retail dealership. Could not the citizen sue the city and city officials personally for damages because they not only failed to enforce but also endorsed the violation of Federal laws?
15. Money should never be the prime consideration when dealing with the MJ issue or others such as gambling. Importing such industries with such negative impacts on the community is never justified simply because of tax revenue. Indeed the social costs often outweigh any tax revenue benefit.
16. As a Federal crime, anyone renting space to a MJ dealer could be considered as profiting from a criminal enterprise with the possibility of forfeiture of their property. This often occurs even when an individual is suspected of a crime let alone set up in a public criminal enterprise.
17. Banks involved in interstate commerce realize this and cannot deal with MJ businesses for fear of prosecution. So a “cash only” business model is the only one feasible.
18. All cash businesses lend themselves to skimming and criminal activity to include robbery of MJ business owners.
19. Proceeds from MJ businesses must be laundered to allow the business owner the ability to remove the MJ taint and get them into the banking system. This is done via the purchase of legal businesses or properties much like the Mafia has done for years to cover their criminal ill gotten profits. Money laundering is a Federal crime and likely also leads to Federal tax evasion: another Federal crime.
20. Property owners who seek to finance their properties may find that income derived from MJ tenants is not credited to their cash flow qualification since the banks know it comes from a federally criminalized activity.
21. Property values will decrease based upon the exclusion of MJ income credited towards appraisals using the income approach.
You are on a slippery slope when you selectively choose which laws to ignore or not enforce. If you’re willing to violate one law for your personal benefit, be it personal profit or government revenue, then you’ll likely be willing to violate as many as necessary to achieve you goals. Here are a couple of my experiences with the MJ legalization crowd in Lakewood. Several years ago after the legalization vote I had a young lady who might have worked in an adult club, attempt to sweet talk me into renting space in my building for a “pharmacy”. She didn’t look or sound like a pharmacist so I asked if she meant a pot dealership. She said “yes” and I had to decline her offer. A day later she and a pony tailed lawyer showed up at the building and explained why I should rent to her……although she now appeared as just an attractive front for the attorney’s business interests. I explained my concerns about Federal law, Lakewood’s prohibition, and my worried tenants who didn’t want a bunch of “heads” hanging around the building. The attorney assured me that the Federal law wouldn’t be enforced, that Lakewood wouldn’t be wiser as to the true nature of the business for several years and then could be tied up in court for years thereafter allowing me to collect above market rents during that period. The whole thing stank to high heaven and I politely threw them out of the building. After the Pot Lottery I received numerous requests by “winners” to falsify a lease so that they could retain their retail outlet won. There was a deadline they had to meet to set up shop. They offered significant cash for this with the expectation that it would buy them time to find an actual place for their business, if not Lakewood then elsewhere. These unsavory characters had no problem bending or violating laws in order to set up their illegal business. We expect better of Lakewood’s government.
You just copy/pasted that misleading B.S.
None of those reasons are good enough to go against the will of the voters. If you don’t like it, maybe you shouldn’t be living in Washington. I hear Idaho is cheap.
That’s all you got stoner?
No, I’ve got a majority of my fellow Pierce County residents and a majority of fellow Washingtonians that agree with me.
If you want to try and take away our rights, do it via the ballot box.
“…………do it via the ballot box.” Agreed! As long as the US Congress does not decriminalize the production, sale and possession of MJ it will be a Federal crime. Want it legal? Then get the Washington and other state congressional members to vote to overturn the current Federal law and decriminalize it. Until then it’s illegal. Beyond that, there are many other reasons why smoking pot is not cool physically, psychologically of societally.
I didn’t realize lowering yourself to the level of name calling was how to debate. This whole thread could have been ended if we just started with that.
Stop living in the past and get with the times, you snowflakes. (Am I doing this right?)
It seems to me that there is odd amount of immaturity when discussing this topic I’m unaware of how whom ever stated every time you inhale smoke you are inhaling carcinogens is relevant I’m pretty sure the air you breathe and and 90 percent of the products available to us have some type of carcinogens or others toxic chemicals in them. That beinf said we are talking about marijuana…. I can’t say that I have now nor ever heard of mass destruction from groups of drug addicts who smoke weed and it is scientifically proven that marijuana has many medicinal purposes that can provide safer alternatives then using pharacticsls that have now caused a opioid epidemic . Different strains of marijuana can’t eliviete ailments such as anxiety depression insomnia pain and so many more. The information you provide should be able to be verifable and not all types of marijauna cause veryone is and should be entitled to their own opinion but I find it unreasonable to be so quick to judge it is perfectly fine to have liquor and nicotine at every corner but marijuana is not even to be considered due to it highly toxic and unsafe effects?? People this is 2018 lighten up why don’t you try being open minded and allowing your self to be introduced in to a little thing called evelotion we are constantly advancing with new technology other forms of communication and many other topics with out question being grestful for these advancements but if you don’t allow opportunity for new and in my point of view healthier options than you might be subjected too the unfortunate life style of being oppressed. Just because the man whom has a been a doctor for 30 years has had much more experience does not mean the rookie could be a better doctor with alternatives methods that someone else has yet to think of.
I dont think Lakewood realises how much revenue it could bring to the city, more so that the police department had lost 15 million in a lawsuit. People will get marijuana regardless if they allow shops or not. Not only will it help the city, but it will help with funding to get meth and other hard addictive drugs. I think it is time for Lakewood to open their eyes and their minds. Maybe Lakewood should unify with Tacoma again since the city has poor choices with laws and budget.
“…..help with (sic. treatment) funding to get meth and other hard addictive drugs.” That’s like the justification for allowing gambling in Lakewood: increased revenue (so they can expand government……….have you seen your taxes go down as a result?) and a portion of the profits are spent treating addicted gamblers (infinitesimally small $$$………..addicts which the casinos and government share responsibility for creating in the first place). How is selling an illegal (Federal) addictive gateway drug to help with treatment funding for meth and other hard addictive drugs good public policy when the marijuana industry and government share responsibility for the problem? It isn’t. What’s “good” for government bureaucrats is not necessarily good for the governed citizens. What’s next? Legalized prostitution?
Cannabis doesn’t share the responsibility for the problems with hard drugs – it is not a gateway drug. You’re just throwing a bunch of arguments about other things like gambling out there because you know that you’re wrong.
Said a self admitted stoner who probably drives with detectable amounts of THC in his blood stream to get his frequent fix. What’s the matter? Is life so difficult that you have to stay stoned? Next time you’re sober read up on MJ as a gateway drug. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-gateway-drug
Arbeeny is a Waste of Time. Don’t listen to the “angry has been council member”. He was a self described stoner.
I have never smoked anything! and I am on Steves side here.
It’s about time for Tillipot Shop!
Thank you again City of Lakewood Council, you are doing so much for us citizens and you don’t let the few complainers outway the majority who support you!
Tillicum is the best location because it has already been the location to buy for many many years anyway.
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/07/opinions/jeff-sessions-marijuana-move-bad-for-him-chernis-opinion/index.html
Put the illegals pot sellers out of business and clean up!
Same reply for the same story you did before. WOT
Cannabis is NOT a gateway drug: http://www.newsweek.com/marijuana-not-gateway-drug-325358
Repeating ill-informed stereotypes about cannabis will not make them true, Abeerny, it just makes you loo like a petulant child.