Ridgefield City Council extends pot moratorium

RIDGEFIELD — Ridgefield will continue to block recreational and medical marijuana operations for as many as six more months while councilors weigh the city’s options for regulating the newly legal industry.

The city’s moratorium was set to expire next month, but the city council voted Thursday night to continue the ban. The councilors plan to hold workshops in the coming months with the planning commission in hopes of reaching a conclusion before the moratorium ends, Mayor Ron Onslow said.

“If we have to take six months, we could, but we’re going to try not to do that,” Onslow said.

The vote came during the same week that Washington State University began its lottery process to select licensees for pot shops. The state the Liquor Control Board has capped retail locations at 334 statewide, including 15 in Clark County.

Ridgefield hasn’t been allotted any retail licenses, but that could change. Onslow said he isn’t sure whether anyone’s applied for a license to sell, grow or process marijuana in the city.

It’s hard to tell where the councilors stand on the issue, he said. Some support the industry, a couple haven’t said anything and others are outright are against it.