Washington pot shops block minors

Minors may have a slightly easier time buying booze or cigarettes than pot at stores the state licenses.

State agents doing checks for all three restricted products said licensed marijuana stores passed tests for selling to under-aged buyers 90 percent of the time. For stores that sell liquor, the compliance rate was 86 percent, and for tobacco sales slightly lower, said Justin Nordhorn, enforcement chief for the Liquor and Cannabis Board, which oversees all three products.

Making sure that the state’s legal marijuana stays out of the hands of minors is a key to meeting current U.S. Justice Department guidelines for having something legal in Washington that’s illegal under federal law, Board Director Rick Garza told the House Commerce and Gaming Committee. How that will change under a new administration is unclear, he added/Jim Camden, SR Spin Control. More here.