Nirvana Cannabis opens next to West Richland neighborhood

A controversial cannabis business that inspired a blanket ban on marijuana businesses in Benton County has opened near West Richland.

Nirvana Cannabis Co. announced the soft opening at its web site. The store occupies a renovated residence at 4950 Arena Road. The property has a Richland address but is an unincorporated slice of land in Benton County bordering a West Richland neighborhood.

It is the second legal marijuana retailer in the Tri-Cities, after Green2Go in Finley. Two additional stores are in the Prosser area.

Nirvana, which has stores near Spokane and Wenatchee, secured a license to open the store when such businesses were still legally allowed in unincorporated Benton County.

Neighboring jurisdictions, including the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland and Franklin County banned cannabis businesses after voters approved Initiative 502 to legalize recreational marijuana statewide. The initiative failed in both Benton and Franklin counties, but passed statewide with support concentrated in the Puget Sound area.

Nirvana’s plans inspired fierce resistance from neighbors, who won backing from the city of West Richland as well as State Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick.

Benton County enacted a moratorium against marijuana retailers and producers but could not apply the prohibition retroactively. Renovations at Arena Road resumed in late 2018, signaling that the store would open this spring.

This story was originally published March 27, 2019 at 4:10 PM.