Richland City Council will discuss marijuana sales at their Tuesday council workshop meeting. The topic comes in response to a zoning text amendment submitted to the city of Richland by Shanna Kaiser of Fire Cannabis Company. If approved, the amendment would allow for one marijuana/cannabis retail sales location in Richland in a medium industrial zone.
In 2018, the last time Richland council seriously considered marijuana sales a group known as Legalize Richland, gathered sufficient signatures on an initiative petition to put the issue to a vote. However, City Attorney Heather Kintzley put the matter to bed when she determined that the matter was a zoning issue. According to an article in the Tri-City Herald, Kintzley said that state courts had ruled that initiatives could not be used to change zoning rules.
At that time only Councilmember Ryan Lukson and Mayor Bob Thompson supported putting the matter to a vote of the people. Only two members of that council currently serve, Lukson and Councilmember Sandra Kent.
In an email response to the Observer’s question about the process, Kintzley said, “Yes, text amendments can be applied for under the Richland Municipal Code. You can find the rules for the process here starting at RMC 23.70.180.”
Washington legalized the sale, purchase, and use of marijuana for people aged 21 and over on the November 2012 general election ballot but gave local jurisdictions the right to opt out or allow sales and receive 37 percent of the tax on marijuana purchases. Richland councilmembers voted 3 to 2 to ban the sales. Only Kent, who was absent for that vote, remains on the council.
Pasco, Kennewick and West Richland also chose to ban sales, but things have changed since then.
Pasco City Council voted in June 2023 to allow sales of marijuana in certain areas. On April 16, West Richland City Council voted to put a non-binding, advisory vote on marijuana sales in the city on the Aug. 6 primary ballot.
The Richland Council workshop will be held at Richland City Hall at 6 pm, streamed live on Richland City View or watched live on cable channel 192.