‘Wrongspot’ to leave pot: W. Richland police confiscate plants

Someone either is missing 10 pot plants, or had plenty to spare.

West Richland police confiscated the plants Sunday after a citizen reported seeing them around an older sign protesting a proposed marijuana retail store.

The plants were in various stages of growth, according to Capt. Thomas Grego.

“We seized them because it’s in the public,” he said. “We put them in for destruction in evidence since obviously no one is claiming them.”

And yes, they will be destroyed, said Grego, responding to Facebook posts that suggested officers soon will be “toking it up” in the office.

The black-and-white sign, “Wrongspot for potshop,” went up two months ago in response to news that the owners of The Garden LLC are redeveloping a single-family home on Arena Road into a retail shop.

The property, in an unincorporated Benton County “doughnut hole,” is completely surrounded by West Richland. Nearby residents have argued that it is too close to their homes, a preschool, a church and school bus stops.

The city of West Richland and Benton County asked the Washington State Liquor & Cannabis Board to revoke the license for the Spokane-based business, operating as Nirvana Cannabis Co. Both requests were rejected.

Since then, Benton County commissioners have been considering outlawing all marijuana stores, with the potential for ending legal marijuana sales altogether.

Only current legal retailers — Finley’s Green2Go, Prosser’s Altitude and the Griffin Road area’s Bakeshop — would be grandfathered and remain free to continue operating.

The protest sign is at Keene and Kennedy roads.

Police decided to have some fun with their Facebook posting after the plants were found “loitering.”

“(They) were completely disregarding the sign which said they were not welcome there,” police wrote.

Under Washington law, it is legal to grow marijuana up to a certain number of plants, but they must be kept out of public view.

The big question is, who gave up their plants to mock the sign and the anti-marijuana crowd?

“That part of the story, I think, is going to be a mystery from here on out,” Grego said. “Somebody obviously had something to prove from the people who are putting out the signs.”

This story was originally published August 21, 2017 at 7:19 PM with the headline "‘Wrongspot’ to leave pot: W. Richland police confiscate plants."