By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Have voters in Pierce County changed their minds since joining a majority of voters in the rest of Washington to legalize retail marijuana businesses? That's the question that the County Council is asking in this month's special election. An advisory ballot measure that amounts to a popularity poll asks if licensed pot operations should be allowed in unincorporated areas of the county. The measure is non-binding. The council can, however, take action based on the results of the voting. Council members' decision last December to put the question before voters this year was in conjunction with another council action that repealed the county's ban on the production and selling of marijuana. The council-imposed ban had been in place since November 2013, when the council prohibited state-licensed marijuana businesses until Congress removes pot from the list of federally controlled substances. That position is contrary to Washington law that emerged from statewide approval by voters in 2012 of a legalized market for regulated, recreational use of the drug. A majority of voters in Pierce County sided with that mandate. In December, the council dropped the requirement that in order for sellers of marijuana to obtain county permits, they must prove that marijuana isn't a federal-controlled substance and thus illegal. But the council also ordered the advisory vote in order to have the public's input on whether to allow state-licensed marijuana businesses. Council members Jim McCune, whose district covers south Pierce County, Dan Roach, Joyce McDonald and Doug Richardson voted in favor of putting that question on the ballot. If voters reiterate their support of four years ago, recreational pot businesses will be allowed to open after July 1 this year. If a majority of votes go the other way, the council could vote to restore the ban they lifted conditionally. The ballot measure is only for voters in unincorporated parts of the county, since that's where the county regulations are in effect. A committee that supports legalized marijuana sales believes voters had it right the first time. "Unfortunately, politicians in Pierce County blocked the will of the people. Voting yes (on the advisory measure) restores our vote to allow state-licensed stores, creating millions of dollars in new revenue to fund (county law enforcement), drug treatment facilities, and lower property taxes," writes The Alliance to Protect I-502, the group named after the 2012 statewide initiative, in the county voters pamphlet. In the same pamphlet, opponents warn of downsides of legalized marijuana sales. A committee that includes Brian Sonntag, a former county and state auditor, says it will be too easy for children to acquire marijuana, and that "pot shops" are a road to "an increased need for police activity." County election officials have said the cost of putting the taxpayer-funded advisory vote on the ballot is about $300,000.
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