See how to speak your mind on banning pot farms in Benton County

The Benton County Commission will take public comment during its regular Tuesday session on its emergency moratorium banning the production and processing of cannabis in unincorporated areas of the county.

The commission meets at 9 a.m. at the county courthouse in Prosser, 620 Market St. Its meetings are telecast to the Benton County Justice Center as well, 7122 W. Okanogan Place.

The commission passed a six-month emergency moratorium on new cannabis production and processing in November. The moratorium took effect immediately but by state law must be the subject of a public hearing.

The moratorium will expire after six months if no further action is taken. The county previously passed a moratorium on cannabis sales after public outcry over a proposed new store on Arena Road near West Richland.

The production and processing moratorium followed complaints about harvest-related odors, particularly in the Finley area.

Neither the retail moratorium nor the production and processing moratorium affects the licenses held by existing businesses.

Washington voters approved Initiative 502 legalizing recreational cannabis in 2012.

Local opposition led to bans in Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland and Franklin County that led to Benton County being one of the few places in the region where cannabis businesses could operate legally.

This story was originally published December 1, 2017 at 12:56 PM with the headline "See how to speak your mind on banning pot farms in Benton County."