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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Local pot shops receiving letters from the U.S. Army

A letter from Col. David Chase, president of the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board, sent to marijuana retailers around the state.
A letter from Col. David Chase, president of the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board, sent to marijuana retailers around the state.

A letter sent by the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board to area marijuana retailers tells them their stores are "off limits" to military personnel without evidence they'll refuse selling pot to men and women in uniform.

The letter, dated Jan. 21, can be seen in its entirety below:

Letter declaring marijuana shops off limits to military personnel

The military routinely identifies areas that are "off-limits" to its personnel. Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the source of the above letter, has a list of off-limits areas on its website. Fairchild Air Force Base does not have a similar list at its Web address.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday the letters were sent to 86 shops across the state. The letter requests that retail stores provide evidence to the board that marijuana will not be sold to members of the military within 30 days in order to lift the ban on service members at their shops.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. There are nine retail stores open in Spokane County under I-502, the law that governs the rollout of the recreational marijuana industry in Washington.

 



Kip Hill
Kip Hill joined The Spokesman-Review in 2013. He currently is a reporter for the City Desk, covering the marijuana industry, local politics and breaking news. He previously hosted the newspaper's podcast.

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