In brief: Washington pot shops told military customers aren’t allowed

OLYMPIA – Dozens of recreational marijuana businesses in Washington have been sent letters from the military saying the shops are off-limits to all members of the armed forces, an official said Tuesday.

The letters, dated Jan. 21, say military personnel will be indefinitely prohibited from entering such a business unless its owner agrees to stop selling substances similar to marijuana.

A total of 86 letters have been sent to businesses with licenses to sell recreational marijuana under voter-approved Initiative 502, said Joe Kubistek, a spokesman for Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

“Despite the passage of Initiative 502, the use, possession, manufacture, or distribution of marijuana remains illegal for all service members, at all times and locations,” Kubistek said in an email.

Hilary Bricken, a Seattle attorney, said two of the marijuana businesses she represents had received the letters. She said the shops have no responsibility to inquire about the military status of their customers, but noted that some operators were concerned about repercussions if they don’t respond.

“The Army is totally powerless to do anything to these businesses, but that doesn’t stop my clients from freaking out,” she said.

Kubistek stressed the letter is a courtesy notification to the businesses, not a demand.

“The Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board recognizes these businesses were established for the purpose of selling and distributing marijuana, within state guidelines, and had no intention of interfering with their business operations,” he wrote.

The letter states that shops have 30 days to present evidence to the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board at Joint Base Lewis-McChord – which oversees military personnel in the region – that the businesses agree to stop selling the substances to military personnel.

However, Kubistek noted that the letters are similar to ones the military is required to send to any businesses deemed to be harmful to members of the military, and that the onus is on military members to know they should not to go there.

Poultry quarantine ends in two counties

OLYMPIA – The Washington Agriculture Department has lifted a quarantine that restricted the movement of eggs, poultry and poultry products in parts of southeast Washington after avian flu was found in two Benton County backyard flocks in December.

The department said Tuesday that the outbreak doesn’t appear to have spread beyond those two sites. The quarantine covered parts of Benton and Franklin counties.

Department spokesman Hector Castro said veterinarians with the state and the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited about 1,800 sites and tested samples from birds at more than 70 locations. All were negative for avian flu.

A second quarantine remains in effect in parts of Clallam County, where a flock was confirmed to be infected in mid-January. The Peninsula Daily News quotes Castro as saying that testing there is expected to continue into the near future, but inspectors “are close to wrapping up.”

None of the avian viruses detected in Washington have been associated with human illnesses and there is no immediate public health concern.

Man dies in fall onto freeway ramp

SEATTLE – Police think the fall that killed a man on a freeway ramp in Seattle was an accident.

Spokesman Drew Fowler said the man fell about 30 feet at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday and landed on the northbound ramp to Interstate 5 at James Street. He apparently died of his injuries and was not hit by a vehicle.

Seattle police are investigating along with the King County medical examiner’s office.

Officers could not find any witnesses to the fall. The body was reported by a motorist.

Fowler said officers think the man lived at a homeless camp.

Missing plane’s pilot not identified

SEABECK, Wash. – Officials have not officially identified the pilot lost when a small plane crashed Monday in the Hood Canal.

The Coast Guard said it has notified the pilot’s family but it is not releasing his name.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the only missing aircraft in the area is an RV7. That’s a homemade, single-engine two-seater.

FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said it’s missing from the Tacoma Narrows airport.

The plane is registered to a Fox Island, Washington, man.

Witnesses saw the plane go down in a cove near Seabeck, about 22 miles west of Seattle.