Light Up: Shoreline Approves New Medical Marijuana Licensing Rules

The Shoreline City Council’s passage Monday night of regulations for those who want to be licensed to provide medical marijuana and run collective gardens cleared up the city code and left providers in the city pleased with the result.

Edmonds' neighbor to the south has been one of the most supportive suburban cities in King County of medical marijuana patients and providers, and has allowed medical marijuana to be grown and distributed within its city limits under interim regulations since last July.

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Shoreline's new regulations offer more guidance to qualified patients, patients and providers who are involved in the medical marijuana trade.

The owners of two of the main medical marijuana operators in Shoreline, Laura Healy of Green Hope Patient Network and Patrick Gahn of Green Cure, said they were happy with the council’s regulations on collective gardens. Collective gardens are not run by business operators, like Green Cure or Green Hope, but qualified patients run them and then bring the marijuana to the businesses to distribute to members. 

Healy was pleased that the Council voted 4-3 to strike language that would have banned anyone with a criminal conviction including misdemeanors from working for an operator or collective garden.

Healy said she raised the issue in public comment because she had a volunteer for Green Hope who had been convicted of criminal trespass for being involved in a protest. Instead only people convicted of a state or federal felony would be banned. Councilmember Shari Winstead said business owner should be able to decide whom he or she hires.

The Council also struck language for operators being responsible for what goes on in the premises, including parking lots. Some operators have shared parking lots and existing laws should be sufficient to cover violators.

Collective gardens in Shoreline and the Puget Sound area are usually located inside a home or building because of the weather and for security purposes.

Half of Green Cure’s supply of medical marijuana comes from Shoreline and the rest comes from outside the city, said Kurt Boehl, a Seattle attorney who represents Green Cure.

About 30 percent of Green Cure’s clients come from Shoreline, Gahn said, and the business on 145th Street has served as many as 1,000 people.

Green Hope, on Aurora Avenue North, serves about 100 people a week, about of half of them from Shoreline, Healy said.