Chehalis Could Ban Pot Businesses
By Dameon Pesanti, The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The meeting will open with a public hearing about marijuana businesses, and it will end with a vote on banning the industry from the Mint City.
City staff has recommended the ordinance pass on first reading.
Among other reasons, the ordinance cites that
City staff also claims the industry would create health and safety hazards for
In the discussion, a
"I'm pointing it out for a point of discussion that perhaps it begs the question if (the banks' legal advisors) are concerned about deposits from federally controlled substance, what kind of exposure does it have for a municipality," said
He also said he worries that doing business with marijuana companies could open city staff to federal prosecution.
Osborn said the timing is not related to the current lawsuit aimed at
The moratorium was originally enacted to see how other municipalities would handle legalized marijuana and to see what the outcome was for a lawsuit that questioned whether or not the city of
A judge has since ruled in
The
Under the proposed ordinance, production, processing or retail sales of marijuana will be punishable as a misdemeanor.
The council has the option allow medicinal and recreational marijuana businesses to operate within the city or to ban both them outright.
The banning ordinance was drawn by City Attorney
"We feel we can't continue a moratorium. I feel that's problematic. The council has to make a decision," Hillier said.
Hillier said he's worried that the city could find itself in legal trouble if it were to continue enacting a rolling moratorium.
In the first complaint against the city of
Monday will be the first of two public hearings.
"The council doesn't want to do what the city doesn't want," said Hillier.
Staff recommends the ban mainly because marijuana is still considered an illegal drug in the eyes of the federal government. If the ban is approved, the moratorium will be replaced.
"At the end of the day, you have a controlled substance that violates federal law," said Osborn
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