Pasco Ponders Pot

Pasco City Council wants to hear from the public regarding allowing Pot sales downtown. 

In June, Entrepreneur David Morgan asked the council to revise the city ordinance to allow for marijuana sales within the city. He currently runs a store in Spokane named Lucky Leaf. Morgan holds the sole state license to sell cannabis in Pasco and has been trying for a decade to open a location downtown.

Morgan said, “I know that that area has been struggling in recent years.  And our goal is to not only open a cannabis business in downtown, but to also help with the revitalization process.”

Voters passed Washington State Initiative 5-0-2 in 2012, allowing retail sales of cannabis. The law has provisions for cities to opt out. Pasco voted in 2014 to prohibit sales. 

Jon Funfar, the Communications Program Manager for Pasco says this would be a ‘major shift’ in policy as currently there are no retail pot stores in all of Franklin County. The proposed store would generate some tax revenue for the city.

Funfar explains, “The taxes from Cannabis sales are distributed essentially proportionately from the State. Approximately what Pasco may be looking at is  only probably  around the neighborhood of $200,000 at this point, based on similar sized cities.”

The two listening sessions are open to the public and Funfar says the council welcomes email or even messages via social media or on their App Ask Pasco. 

Tuesday, September 27, 6:30 pm, HAPO (TRAC) Center, 6600 Burden Boulevard

Tuesday, October 4, 6:30 pm, Pasco Police Regional Training Center, 204 W. Clark Street

Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.