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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control

Marijuana food truck testing the waters in Everett

A food truck with marijuana-infused offerings plans to be open this weekend at an Everett public market, although state officials say it would be operating in a "gray area" of Washington law. (Update: The truck cancelled plans Thursday for Everett and is instead planning to stop at a marijuana market in Black Diamond.) 

The SAMICH truck, a reconfigured school bus decked out with kitchen equipment and operated by the Magical Butter company, will be selling food items that contain as much as 100 milligrams of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The food is a way of demonstrating a machine that helps infuse marijuana into various food products.

But there's a catch. Not everyone can place an order for their sandwiches that offer nut butter and jelly, Vietnamese pork or turkey and stuffing. . . 

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. . .The state isn't allowing anyone to sell recreational marijuana until July, and even when it does, the Liquor Control Board won't be licensing food trucks or even restaurants that aren't on wheels. Nothing that has to be heated or refrigerated will be allowed in recreational marijuana stores, and a restaurant serving pot-infused products isn't even envisioned by recreational marijuana laws.

But the Magical Butter people say they will be serving up medical marijuana, which the liquor board doesn't control. When ordering, you will presumably have to produce your doctor's recommendation for marijuana to alleviate an approved medical condition.

In fact, no agency really controls it. Attorney General Bob Ferguson said his office is aware of reports about the truck -- the company has been heavily promoting it -- and it would definitely be illegal if the company tried to sell food products as recreational marijuana.

"As medical marijuana, that's more of a gray area," Ferguson said. The state doesn't license or regulate medical marijuana so there aren't any standards to enforce, other than those that might be enforced by local police or sheriff's deputies.

Garyn Angel, Magical Butter CEO, said they've checked with attorneys and believe the truck falls "within the confines of the law."  The food truck is a chance to show off the MB2, a type of blender/extractor which he described as a "foodie device". It retails for $174.95 online and can extract the essence of vegetables, fruits or spices as well as marijuana and infuse it into butter or oils.

Jeremy Cooper, who will be serving as the head chef of the SAMICH truck, said the vehicle has passed health inspections. The staff are medical patients and they get their marijuana from a collective. The offerings will only be sold to adults, even though under state law, minors can sometimes have a doctor's recommendation for medical marijuana.

Presumably the attorneys have gone over the section of the medical marijuana law that says it is a civil infraction to "use or display medical cannabis n a manner or place which is open to the view of the general public' and the truck will somehow have that covered. Otherwise Snohomish County might be collecting some money for infractions tickets at the farmer's market, which is just outside the Everett city limits.

SAMICH stands for Savory Accessible Marijuana Infused Happiness, in case anyone was wondering.



Jim Camden
Jim Camden joined The Spokesman-Review in 1981 and retired in 2021. He is currently the political and state government correspondent covering Washington state.

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