The Emerald City has been trying for months to slow down the quickly-expanding medical marijuana scene within its borders, and now up to 11 cannabis companies are facing civil complaints from the city attorney’s office for violating city code.
According to a Seattle radio station, City Attorney Pete Holmes has already filed five such complaints, and another half dozen “are in the pipeline.”
“We are sending a clear message that those businesses are operating outside even the compassionate city of Seattle’s guidelines. That is not welcome,” Holmes told KUOW radio station.
That comes on top of letters sent to 330 MMJ businesses last month warning the companies to obtain state business licenses. The problem is that Washington State has yet to formally institute statewide regulations for the medical industry, even as recreational marijuana sales are burdgeoning, and so state-sanctioned business licenses don’t even yet exist for MMJ companies.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray “plans to introduce interim regulations for (MMJ businesses) before the end of the year,” according to KUOW, but in the meantime, the MMJ industry remains in a gray legal area.
The city also plans to hold a symposium this week to further explore potential solutions to the issue.