Tacoma gives pot growers room to grow

The Tacoma City Council has taken new steps to manage the
explosion of medical marijuana gardens and dispensaries in
the city, voting unanimously to oversee them under the
city’s nuisance code.

The code would prohibit the gardens from operating within
600 feet, about one city block, of a school, daycare,
drug rehabilitation center, park, library or youth center,
reports the Tacoma News Tribune.

Councilmembers say the goal is to strike a balance, and as
long as growers don’t flaunt it, they’ll be left alone.

Growers won’t be allowed to advertise the sale of
marijuana or operate in the open. They can’t sell to
anyone under 18, and they can’t put off a noticeable
smell in public. Patients smoking pot in public would be
subject to enforcement.

The measure specifically labels dispensaries or so-called
“pot pharmacies” as a public nuisance, meaning they aren’t
technically permitted by the city under any circumstance.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but
Washington allows up to 10 qualified medical marijuana
patients to take part in a single collective garden, which
can contain up to 45 plants and 72 ounces of useable
cannabis.

Backers of the new measure hope it will help avoid federal
raids as well as local police action against legitimate
patients and growers.