Recreational marijuana sales began in Washington State in July 2014. Many municipalities and counties passed bans on recreational marijuana businesses. One of those counties was Pierce County, which is the second largest county in Washington State. Pierce County includes Tacoma, Washington, which has a population of roughly 200,000 people. The entire county is home to nearly 800,000 people. A lot of recreational marijuana would be sold if Pierce County lifted its ban, which would generate tax revenue, create jobs, and boost local economies.
Fortunately, a committee in Pierce County voted recently in favor of lifting the ban. Per The Joint Blog:
The Pierce County Council’s Community Development Committee has passed a proposal, sponsored by three of the council’s seven members, which would repeal the county’s ban on recreational cannabis sales.
The proposal, which is expected to be voted on by the full council in August, would repeal a law passed by councilors in 2013 which explicitly banned all recreational cannabis outlets, which were legalized by voters the year prior.
Hopefully the full council vote in August will be favorable. Banning an industry that sells a product that is safer than alcohol and cigarettes is illogical. Washington’s recreational marijuana industry rules are not perfect, but there are definitely people in Pierce County that would love to buy some legal recreational marijuana if outlets were allowed. It seems like a no brainer.
