WA Prosecutor to Sue 15 Unlicensed Dispensaries

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A group of unlicensed dispensaries that have resisted attempts to shut them down are now facing potential legal action.

Dan Satterberg – the prosecutor for King County, which includes Seattle – said he plans to sue 15 dispensaries in unincorporated parts of the county that are operating illegally without state permits. Satterberg has made no secret of his intent to close the shops and has been making overtures to that effect for weeks.

“Their days as marijuana sellers where they never had a license, and they never paid taxes, those days are over,” Satterberg told a Seattle-area TV station.

He plans to serve the dispensaries in the next few days, and then the choice will be up to the businesses: Either close down, or face him in court. If the businesses choose the latter, Satterberg told the station he will ask a judge to enforce the law and shutter the dispensaries.

Seattle is also targeting dispensaries, and its city council adopted a new ordinance this month that will result in the closure of around half of the city’s 99 dispensaries by next summer.