According to the Adams County Sheriff, search warrants were served earlier Thursday on a farm on Gering Road, not far from Ritzville, WA. Quite the operation they discovered.
Although officials have not confirmed this, it's likely the firestorm of resistance from West Richland citizens that's prompted Benton County Commissioners to put a plan in play that would eventually prevent any more pot business from opening in the county.
While stopping short of directly blaming legal weed for a noticeable increase in impaired driving car crashes, the study says there's enough of a correlation to cause them to believe pot is a factor. Before you go off disputing, consider this study came from the respected Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).
Just a few years into legalized marijuana in Colorado and Washington state have seen ongoing tension between the states and the Federal government, where pot is still illegal and classified as a narcotic.
In Columbia County we are seeing the same thing happen that's kept pot stores out of Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick. Despite the passing of I-502, public input is crushingly against the idea.
At first glance, it seems funny that a typically 'conservative' paper like the Spokesman Review in Spokane would have such content in it's classifieds or entertainment section. But when you consider these are paid content, and pot is legal, maybe not such a surprise. But it was still pretty funny.
The City Council had planned this week to vote on possibly banning future pot business inside city limits, or changing the city statutes to match updates to state pot codes. But that didn't happen because of a typographical error.