The roll out of marijuana legalization in Washington has been very slow. It seems like there are new roadblocks and hurdles around every corner. Many cities and counties have put in place moratoriums and bans to prevent marijuana businesses from operating.
Cowlitz County in Washington may try a tactic that I haven’t ever heard of before. The Cowlitz County Public Utility District is considering blocking electricity from marijuana businesses. Anyone that has ever maintained an indoor marijuana garden knows that electricity is vital to success. Without electricity, there are no lights, and with no lights, there are no harvests. It’s impossible for processors and stores to operate without electricity as well. Per TDN:
“Is Cowlitz PUD aiding and abetting a (federal) crime?” Commissioner Merritt “Buz” Ketcham asked, noting that the PUD buys most of its power from the Bonneville Power Administration, a federal agency.
Cowlitz PUD attorney Paul Brachvogel said that during a recent statewide gathering of PUD officials there was no consensus on how to deal with the issue of pseudo-legal marijuana.
I’m sure there will be many legal challenges to such a proposal if it becomes reality. Recently the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced that it will block irrigation water from being provided to legal marijuana growers in Colorado and Washington. That’s not as significant as electricity, because there’s other ways to get water, but it still makes it inconvenient for growers. What other tricks and tactics will marijuana legalization opponents try?
