Retail marijuana sites are selected by lottery

A man who is hoping to open a retail marijuana location in Camas did not have much to say Monday, regarding his top placement among applicants involved in a lottery.

Marc Elkins, with Elkgard Enterprises of 3199 N.E. Lechner St., declined to comment about the Washington State Liquor Control Board lottery results due to Camas’ continued moratorium.

On April 7, the Camas City Council voted to extend a zoning moratorium relating to the establishment of marijuana production, processing and retail sales facilities. A public hearing regarding the growing, harvesting and processing of marijuana in Camas will be held Monday, May 19, at 7 p.m., at City Hall.

City staff will develop a list of several zoning options for City Council to consider with the goal of adopting a regulatory ordinance by early October, prior to the new moratorium’s expiration on Oct. 21.

In the lottery for a retail marijuana license, C4U, at 4855 N.W. Lake Road, Camas, ranked second, followed by Lucky Toke, and Bella Flora, with both listing 319 N.E. Lechner St., as location addresses.

Clark County has been allotted 15 retail marijuana licenses. That includes six for the unincorporated county, six for Vancouver, and one each for Camas, Washougal and Battle Ground.

Among applicants for Washougal locations, Mary Jane’s House of Marijuana, at 245 Sixth St., was ranked first in the lottery. Bella Flora, at 3142 Evergreen Way, is ranked second, followed by Green Genes at 3029 Main St.

“I’m pretty confident Mary Jane’s will have all their ducks in order, and I probably won’t have a shot — unfortunately for me,” said Gene Marlow, the Green Genes applicant. “I really wanted to have an opportunity to give this a go, but it does not look like it’s going to happen.”

The fourth ranking retail applicant in Washougal is Mary Jane’s House of Cannibis, at 245 Sixth St.

The Washougal City Council approved an emergency ordinance on Dec. 2, regarding the establishment of retail businesses that sell marijuana. It establishes a six-month moratorium prohibiting all uses allowed under state Initiative 502. The ordinance is set to expire June 2.

I-502, approved in 2012, allows individuals 21 and older to possess and use marijuana-related paraphernalia and any combination of one ounce of usable marijuana, 16 ounces of marijuana infused product in solid form or 72 ounces of marijuana infused product in liquid form.

Individuals are subject to criminal prosecution for possession in amounts greater than that or possession of any quantity or kind by a person younger than 21.

Washougal Community Development Director Mitch Kneipp said there will be discussion regarding another possible moratorium extension at the City Council workshop, Monday, May 12, at 5 p.m., with potential action at the Tuesday, May 27 meeting, at 7 p.m.

Among marijuana retail license applicants in unincorporated Clark County, NW Bella Flora, at 3142 Evergreen Way, Washougal, ranked seventh, and the Fern Prairie Market, at 1817 N.E. 267th Ave., Ste. 101, ranked 22nd. Bharwinder Singh had hoped to become a marijuana retailer in a space behind the market.

The Liquor Control Board contracted with the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center of Washington State University and the accounting firm for Washington’s Lottery, Kraght-Snell of Seattle, to independently produce rank-ordered lists of applicants in each jurisdiction where a lottery is necessary.

License applicants must pass criminal background checks and financial investigations, and they must choose retail locations that are not within 1,000 feet of schools, parks or other areas where children congregate.

The Liquor Control Board expects to begin issuing retail licenses no later than the first week of July. The retail marijuana lottery results can be viewed at www.liq.wa.gov/records/frequently-requested-lists.