WA State Looking For ‘Pot Expert’ To Oversee Marijuana Law Implementation

Looking for a new job?  We hear Cheech and Chong are interested.Last Friday, the Washington State Liquor Control Board held a hearing to discuss just how to start up and implement the state's new marijuana policy.

With Initiative 502 passing, the Liquor Control Board is charged with setting up the system to grow, harvest, sell and otherwise regulate marijuana for legal adults.  LCB officials plan to hire a "pot expert" who will help them decide some of the following issues:

• How many acres need to be set aside for the growing of marijuana?
• Will it be done utilizing private lands overseen by the state?
• Setting up the harvesting, transportation, storage and distribution system.
• Setting up enforcement and oversight officers.  So far the state initially plans to hire  as many as 40 new enforcement officials-many of them former law officers.
• Setting up the licensing and regulatory process for those who will grow and provide the drug.
• By comparison, setting up and opening the stores will be the easy part.  The LCB can just use it's old template for the alcohol stores before they were privatized.

According to Seattle media,  the state has been getting thousands of calls and emails from 'unsolicited' parties with advice on how to set up the system.   One such comment made to the Seattle Times blog section said:

'The Black market could put a plan together in 24 hours. Politics as usual."-(from GrammerRock-November 30th)

The state of Colorado is facing a similar situation, apparently both states are finding nobody else in the world has, or is planning to, operate this type of marijuana dispensing system.   Therefore, officials are not sure exactly where to turn to for their 'business model.'