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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Local anti-marijuana activists look to Trump administration for support, and continue petition drive

Kip Hill The Spokesman-Review
Opponents of the sale of marijuana in downtown Spokane are hoping they’ll get a sympathetic ear in the White House after striking out locally. “We’re trying to get the Attorney General Jeff Sessions to come in, and show him that hundreds of people oppose marijuana shops near churches,” said Michael McGuire, a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral downtown. McGuire, along with former state lawmaker John Ahern, have organized a petition-signing effort to add houses of worship to the city’s list of establishments requiring buffer zones from pot businesses. McGuire has sent letters to Sessions, President Donald Trump and the Washington Attorney General’s Office with evidence of the signatures gathered supporting the new setback, which effectively would limit where marijuana businesses could locate in the downtown core. So far, efforts to change the city’s rules have been unsuccessful, with City Council President Ben Stuckart saying Spokane should be supporting the revenue-generating pot industry, rather than stifling it with additional regulations. Ahern, who said he’s collected roughly 1,000 signatures of the 2,586 needed to get the question on the ballot, said he believes there’s enough support for his proposal to bypass the City Council and go directly to voters. “We’ve got a lot of churches that are very interested. We’re going to get this thing on the ballot this fall,” Ahern said. The petition would need the necessary number of signatures – 5 percent of the total number of votes cast in the 2015 municipal election – by June 12 in order to appear on the ballot in November. The proposal would add houses of worship with children’s programs, hospitals and drug treatment centers to the list of establishments requiring a 1,000-foot buffer from any marijuana business, which already includes parks, transportation centers and libraries. A state-level proposal that would have granted cities the option to ban the sale of marijuana in the same areas restricting sales of strong alcoholic drinks died in committee this legislative session. The bill was introduced by Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, and had a hearing in January in Olympia, but did not receive a vote. City Councilman Mike Fagan, who petition supporters consider the lone sympathetic ear on the Spokane City Council, said the city crafted its marijuana zoning rules to adhere closely to state standards, which did not include houses of worship in its list requiring setbacks. Fagan said he supported including churches and other establishments, but there were no like minds on the council. “I was a proponent, but at the end of the day, I was just one of seven,” Fagan said. Kevin Oliver, a marijuana producer and executive director of the Washington chapter for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said even if the city were to approve additional zoning restrictions on where marijuana businesses could locate, existing businesses would almost certainly be grandfathered. Oliver said appealing to the federal government to take an interest in local issues was unlikely to be successful, despite recent statements from the White House and administration indicating stricter enforcement of federal laws is on the way. “I think it’s very unlikely that people who are following rules, especially small business owners who are working their butts off, are going to be targeted,” Oliver said. Spokane’s rules on locating marijuana businesses are looser than surrounding communities, which have passed stricter regulations based on direction from the Washington Attorney General’s Office authorizing “broad authority” for local governments to regulate the industry. Spokane County recently enacted a moratorium on outdoor grows in response to complaints about odor, and Spokane Valley has effectively capped its existing industry by passing an ordinance in July outlawing new retail stores.