Politics & Government

Medical Marijuana Supporters Cheer Shoreline Council Vote

Shoreline City Council's Monday night vote to approve permanent development code regulations for medical marijuana collective gardens

Gail Marlowe arrived too late to see medical marijuana supporters cheer for the Shoreline City Council's Monday night vote to approve permanent development code regulations for medical marijuana collective gardens.

However, once Marlowe, who was late for medical reasons, heard the result from Patch, the result something to be thankful for again.

She's currently a patient at Green Cure Wellness Center on 145th St. 

Find out what's happening in Shoreline-Lake Forest Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I don’t do it to get high," she said. "I do it to get by."

Marlowe, who lives in Mountlake Terrace, suffers from chronic pain and a autoimmune disorder. She was taking prescribed narcotics but switched to a liquid marijuana plant extract, called a tincture, after much research and evaluation by her primary care doctor.

Find out what's happening in Shoreline-Lake Forest Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Council has found a legal way to support medical marijuana patients, when some other cities haven't, and that continued with Monday's 6-1 vote to pass Ordinance No. 643, which provides for the adoption of permanent development code regulations.

"Voters have spoken about access to safe medical cannabis and we should respect their wishes," Councilmember Chris Roberts said.

Roberts added: "I think we should push (state Sen. Maralyn) Chase, Reps. (Ruth) Kagi and (Cindy) Ryu on what regulations for medical cannabis are and should be...We should wait for them to press for clarity."

Initiative 502 is scheduled to appear on the Nov. 2012 ballot and would legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Councilmembers Chris Eggen, Doris McConnell, Shari Winstead, Chris Roberts, a Mayor Keith McGlashan and Jesse Salomon—who voted over speakerphone—favored the ordinance.

Councilmember Will Hall, who dissented, also requested an amendment be added that would have limited patients per collective garden to 10 every 15 days.

The amendment failed 5-2, with most Councilmbers saying that the collective gardens would have trouble operating providing the medicine with the restrictions.

Hall was concerned that Shoreline's law operated outside the scope of state law.

Others disagreed.

"I felt our ordinance was consistent with state law, and if the state wanted to narrow it they should do themselves," Eggen said.

Mayor McGlashan voted for the amendment for policing reasons based on conversations he had with former Chief Dan Pingrey.

Sean Green, owner of Pacific Northwest Medical, on Aurora Ave. N., said he was pleased with the decision of the Council and its continued rejection of the amendments to limit the number of patients.

Green said the bottom line for him is provide safe, easy access to medical cannabis for those who need it. 

Pacific Northwest Medical, like other collective gardens, grows its product indoors at the business site.

Green employs six people and said his business has produced more than $15,000 in sales tax for state and local governments so far this year.

Four medical marijuana collective gardens have paid an annual regulatory license fee of $599.50 and are licensed to operate in the city of Shoreline.

•, 15021 Aurora Avenue North.

•, 910 N. 145th St.

•Pacific Northwest Medical, 19926 Aurora Avenue North

•Sea-Shore Collective, 17517 15th Avenue N.E.

A fifth collective garden, Emerald City Compassion Center, 16053 Aurora Ave. N., is the midst of applying for their regulatory license.

The city has collected about $3,000 in license revenue which offsets time to process applications by the City Clerk's Office and the additional police time allocated for patrol and enforcement of city regulations. The city has also received more than $5,300 in 2012 sales tax revenue from medical marijuana collective gardens.

The ordinance states that "a collective garden or facility for delivery of cannabis produced by the garden may not be located within 1,000 feet of schools and not within 1,000 feet of any other collective garden or delivery site."


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