With two medical marijuana dispensaries and one lounge either already open or on the verge in White Center and Top Hat, several questions - from the possibility of a King County moratorium on more dispensaries to what law enforcement can do about the existing ones - were raised at the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting on May 5.

King County District 8 Councilmember Joe McDermott and King County Sheriff’s Office Captain Joseph Hodgson were on hand to answer questions from the council and a solid turnout of 30 citizens.

The law enforcement view on dispensaries
Main concerns raised by the council and crowd were over the recent rush in dispensaries opening in White Center with particular concern over the GAME Collective Green Piece Lounge (which you can read more about here)where card-holding patients are allowed to smoke and, once the proper food licenses are secured, eat their cannabis on premise.

“We are taking a very cautious approach on this,” Capt. Hodgson said. “Things are not particularly clear for us (state law)… we are in the process now of evaluating how they are doing business, what they are doing.”

Gov. Gregoire recently vetoed portions of the newest medical marijuana bill that would have created a licensing system for dispensaries in the state, saying state workers could be exposed to federal prosecution. Dispensaries are technically illegal in Washington State, but have been allowed to operate because the current law doesn’t provide a way for patients to receive their medicine unless they grow their own.

“Our problem, of course, is we haven’t figured out what they are doing exactly to figure out what law or what part of the law they are violating … to get a search warrant.”

“The other possibility is we might be able to get the federal government involved,” he added.

Capt. Hodgson said the KCSO will likely work in conjunction with county prosecutors, King County Department of Development and Environmental Services (dealing with business licensing, building permits and fire marshal guidelines) and the health department to come up with a strategy to investigate whether dispensaries are breaking any laws.

“The fact is they may be completely compliant with law,” Capt. Hodgson said. “I am commenting here because of the public outrage that we are getting as a police department but … we may get in there and find that they are not violating any public laws.”

Specific concerns raised by the NHUAC and citizens at the meeting included the GAME Collective on 16th Ave having an armed guard at the door, questions on whether they have proper licenses to serve food and how people can smoke marijuana inside while smoking tobacco in businesses has been banned. Douglas Harrell on the council said he is “baffled” by the lounge concept at the GAME Collective, saying “It’s not medicinal anymore … clearly it’s just a party house.”

King County’s view
District 8 King County Councilmember Joe McDermott also addressed the dispensary issue.

“As I have heard a couple people underscore already, I too want to make sure that marijuana in a medical format is available for people that find it valuable for their treatment,” he said.

“We do have concerns about whether the existing dispensaries here and across the state are breaking criminal law. We are also at an important time when the legislature is working on the issue … the parts that were left intact actually I think will help clarify legality of dispensaries, actually make it harder for them to operate.”

“The issue here particularly is that our downtown area is fragile and so when we start putting in the marijuana dispensaries, the marijuana lounges, the porn shops, the bad bars that we have … there has to be a limit to what this community can absorb,” said NHUAC councilmember Barbara Dobkin. “I think marijuana should be legal for everyone but the issue is that there has to be some kind of control of it and … this is just not the appropriate place for these types of businesses.”

McDermott was asked whether King County is considering imposing a moratorium on more dispensaries opening up for a period of time and he said the council would take a look at it once the legislature’s special session is finished and a revised bill is accepted by the Governor.

From the dispensaries' view
Brionne Corbray, owner of the GAME Collective Lounge in White Center, responded to some of the question raised at the NHUAC meeting, saying “we stay on the straight and narrow.”

In regards to serving food, Corbray said they are not cooking food in their kitchen until they get licenses squared away (he has owned a restaurant in the past and said he is familiar with the process).

He said the Highline Fire Department came into their establishment on May 5th and gave them the OK in regards to fire exits and extinguishers. In addition, Corbray said he has already given a tour to three officers from the King County Sheriff’s and was surprised that the KCSO is looking at a ways to get a search warrant.

Corbray’s understanding of the smoking law is since they are a private establishment smoking inside is OK. He said if it became an issue, he would look at setting up a tent 25 yards from the entrance where patients could smoke their marijuana, then come back into the lounge.

As for medical marijuana dispensaries and lounges in White Center, Corbray said he is in favor of the county putting a cap on the number that can be in a given area and would be fine with a moratorium until the legal issues become clearer.

Since opening his lounge on May 1, Corbray said he has witnessed some rough scenes in downtown White Center, from fistfights to drinking in public to public urination.

“They are not coming from our lounge,” he said. “People leave our place happy.”

Chris Cody, owner of the Herban Legends dispensary just down the road from the lounge on 16th said he is simply following the advice of his lawyer and trying to stay within the murky guidelines of running a proper dispensary.

“I am just paying attention and trying to be an informed citizen,” Cody said, adding that he hopes people in King County will understand he is simply providing a service to patients dealing with pain and other conditions through the use of medical marijuana.

Crime report for Burien and White Center
Capt. Hodgson said there has been an increase in robberies since November, primarily due to a small group of three to five juveniles robbing other juveniles for their handheld electronics. He said the KCSO is working on identifying the juveniles.

There has been a small rise in commercial burglaries of a different sort, he added. Instead of trying to get at the merchandise inside stores, burglars are stealing copper piping from underneath buildings (usually entering through a crawl space) and then selling it to recyclers for quick cash. Capt. Hodgson recommended business owners take a look at access points to the underside of their establishments and fortify them.

He said there has been a small rise in auto thefts recently which Sheriff’s attribute to a small group of gang members. Capt. Hodgson said one of the primary suspects was arrested on May 5, shortly before the council meeting.

Additionally, Capt. Hodgson said the KCSO will be refocusing on the issue of “overserving” in White Center, specifically trying to identify stores that are selling alcohol to customers that are already visibly inebriated.

More notes from the meeting
Another big issue raised at the meeting is King County’s proposal to stop funding King County Unincorporated Councils. There are currently six UACs in King County (including the North Highline Council) that receive $10,000 each in annual funding, but according to McDermott the actual cost, including staffing to interact with the councils, comes in around $400,000. Expect another story next week delving into the details.

In other news, the NHUAC will hold elections on Thursday, May 19 at the North Highline Fire Station at 1243 s.w. 112th St. in White Center. Fore more information, visit the NHUAC website.

There will be also Steve Cox Memorial Dedication on May 15. From the NHUAC website: “The memorial for Deputy Steve Cox, killed in the line of duty on December 2, 2006, will be held on May 15, 2001 at 3 p.m. The memorial is located in Steve Cox Memorial Park, 1321 s.w. 102nd St. May 15th is also National Peace Officers Memorial Day as designated by President Kennedy in 1962.”