Commissioners set pot forum for January 24

By Rick Nelson

Wahkiakum County commissioners will host a public forum on retail marijuana stores January 24 in Rosburg.

Commissioners will recess their regular meeting in Cathlamet earlier that day and reconvene at 6 p.m. at Johnson Park in Rosburg, a practice they exercise every three months.

Saying several Westend residents had asked him about laws and policies about location of retail marijuana stores, Commissioner Mike Backman requested the forum.

A person applied last year to open a retail store in the old Rosburg Store building, but the building is within 1,000 feet of the Grays River Valley Center, and retail stores are prohibited within that distance of a school or park. Commissioners could have waived the prohibition but chose not to do so.

Backman had grudging cooperation for the forum from fellow Commissioners Blair Brady and Dan Cothren.

In previous discussion a week ago, Cothren reiterated his opposition to marijuana cultivation and consumption and said he would attend a forum only if it were part of a regular board meeting. Brady was absent at that meeting.

This Tuesday, Brady commented that he sees no need for a forum.

"We had one person apply," Brady said. "He wasn't in a place that was appropriate, so it was denied. No one has applied since then.

"I don't see that anything will come out of it. I don't see the need to continue beating something up that's a moot issue. If someone applies in an area that would be appropriate, I would say okay."

"What's going to come out of it is some education," Backman countered. "People will realize what the laws are, what the rules are, so that if they want to apply, if they so chose, they can do so within the law that they understand.

"The thing is I got asked by the Grange . . . "

"Excuse me, not the whole Grange," Brady interjected.

"There was enough members of the Grange that the Grange was willing to host the forum themselves," Backman said.

"[Other people said] there are quite a few people who want to know what's going on. Just have a voice.

"I'm not saying they're going to get anything out of this besides they had their chance, they had their moment. I don't think it's that big a deal, that they had a chance to voice their concerns and won't be able to say we did something without giving them a chance to talk about it.

"That's what we're trying to correct: The fact that we moved without letting them have the conversation in the first place."

"I disagree," Brady said.

Backman said people felt left out at last year's decision because the board had received a petition with lots of signatures opposing the retail store and the board had acted so quickly not everyone had a chance to comment.

Brady said the board had offered the public lots of opportunities to comment on the issue last year.

"We had public meetings; we took public comment; we had a brief moratorium, and then we went ahead and approved two grow operations," Brady said. "No one has applied [for a retail store], Mike.

"But we'll have your meeting."