Benton County has these 2 demands for state pot regulators

A pair of letters to state officials is the latest volley in Benton County’s continuing effort to halt the growth of the legal cannabis industry in unincorporated areas and near West Richland in particular.

One calls on the Washington Legislature to give counties more of a voice in the process for approving stores.

Initiative 502, which legalized recreational marijuana, did not provide local authority.

The second calls on the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board to reject a license renewal for Nirvana Cannabis, which plans to open a store at 4950 Arena Road, next to West Richland.

The county said the renewal should be rejected based on community opposition, its proximity to a preschool and on the grounds that public notices were not properly displayed.

In recent months, Benton County has moved to join Franklin County and the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and West Richland in passing bans on cannabis-related businesses.

Benton County did not initially ban such businesses, which resulted in most of them concentrated in unincorporated county areas.

The existing businesses are grandfathered under state law and are not affected by local bans or moratoriums.

Commissioners passed a six-month moratorium on new cannabis production and processing earlier this month. Last summer, it passed a moratorium on new stores.

Commissioners approved the letters on 3-0 votes Tuesday morning.

This story was originally published November 21, 2017 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Benton County has these 2 demands for state pot regulators."