Eventually, we presume, marijuana businesses will be permitted in unincorporated Clark County. While we believe that should happen sooner rather than later, Clark County councilors are taking a responsible approach to the issue while evaluating their existing moratorium on such businesses.
In 2012, Washington voters approved the legalization of marijuana throughout the state. But Initiative 502 also allowed for jurisdictions to deny permits for sellers and growers. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and nine states plus the District of Columbia have approved recreational use of cannabis despite the risk of a federal crackdown and possible legal battle.
Notably, while statewide voters approved legalization, 50.3 percent of Clark County voters opposed the measure. Since then, the county council has followed the will of local voters in rejecting legalization, even while Vancouver and Battle Ground have allowed businesses to operate. It also should be noted that, nationally, support for legalized marijuana has increased sharply since 2012, reaching about 60 percent, according to Pew Research Center. If Clark County residents have followed that trend, a clear majority of local residents would approve of legalization now, six years after the statewide vote.
Because of that and because of the strong arguments in favor of legalization, it is only a matter of time before Clark County approves marijuana businesses. In the meantime, councilors recently conducted a lengthy work session to consider the matter. This included discussions with experts regarding marijuana regulations, enforcement, finances and public health.
It is encouraging that councilors are taking a look at the issue and inviting expertise from all angles. In an age when politics all too often fall along intractable party lines and evidence-free stridency, the council’s approach represents responsible government.
That being said, we believe the continued moratorium is illogical. Whether or not the county allows well-regulated businesses that provide tax revenue, marijuana will continue to be used in our community. An official ban on cannabis simply empowers the black market without diminishing public access to marijuana. Dr. Alan Melnick, Public Health director and Clark County health officer, told councilors that 10th-graders in Clark County report that marijuana has been more difficult to procure since legalization. “The bottom line is youth use has not gone up in Clark County or in Washington state since retail marijuana became viable,” he said.
That does not mean legalization has been a panacea. Officials report an increase in traffic accidents involving impaired drivers, especially among those who combine marijuana with intoxicants. There also are valid concerns about a growing opioid epidemic and whether or not legalized marijuana has contributed to that scourge. Experts can be found to make arguments on both sides of that question; but it seems that a market controlled by local governments is preferable to an unregulated one.
There are, indeed, dangers that come with marijuana use. It is a substance that alters brain function, and that comes with a societal cost. But marijuana will have a presence in our culture whether or not it is legal, a fact that calls for jurisdictions to manage it in the best possible fashion.
Clark County councilors are wise to seek information to inform their moratorium on marijuana businesses. But it seems inevitable that such businesses eventually will be approved.
