Members of the Seattle city council have recently proposed a
string of zoning ordinance changes that would hopefully lay the groundwork for
how commercial marijuana operations will work in the future. While the city
council sees these zoning proposals as positive progress, pot advocates warn
that the plan could hurt the economy and send jobs outside of Seattle.
Marijuana lobbyist Phillip Dawdy warns that the city council
needs to leave more than 10,000 square feet or people will just go outside of
Seattle. This would lead to a loss of hundreds of jobs and the tax revenue that
follows.
Seattle city council members want to restrict the pot
industry from encroaching on the city's historic districts off limits to the
pot industry. In addition, they want to keep a 1,000 foot buffer between pot
stores and schools, parks, neighborhoods, libraries, and daycare centers.
Pot advocates believe, however, that the city council
shouldn't be wasting their time rewriting zoning laws. Instead, they hoped that
the city's leaders would be reaching out to the federal government who continues
to threaten medical marijuana businesses in Seattle.
"Informing them
that Seattle citizens are tired of these ridiculous laws, and as a city
council, you don't want to see legal businesses within the city of Seattle to
be underneath threat by the federal government."
--Jared Smith, the Responsible
Marijuana Project
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