Where is the line between rationality and Bellevue marijuana shops?

John Curley is many things — a Northwest celebrity, TV personality, former politician, talk radio host, and a premiere auctioneer. Now, you can add recreational pot advocate to the list as he comes to the defense of a Bellevue marijuana shop.

“I would gladly be spoken of in the same breath as William F. Buckley or Milton Freidman who believe in legalizing all drugs and letting people have control over what they put in their own bodies,” Curley told KIRO Radio’s Ron and Don. “The state has no right to determine what I can eat, smoke, or drink. Leave me alone.”

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At the core of the current issue is the Bellevue marijuana shop Green Theory. The larger question is how strict should the government be on marijuana shops. Especially when you consider that alcohol is treated differently.

The store is being forced to move and the property where it currently operates is being sold. But the buffer zones for where a pot shop can operate in Bellevue severely limits where it can go. The Bellevue marijuana buffer is 1,000 feet, keeping such shops away from schools, day care centers, etc.

But if the buffer zone was 600 feet, that would make things easier. That’s what Curley is arguing for. He planned to bring the argument to the Bellevue City Council meeting Oct. 10 as a public comment, but the topic wasn’t on the agenda.

Curley, a vocal Libertarian, lands on the side of the Bellevue marijuana shop with his philosophy of keeping government out of drugs and interfering with the market. On the other side of the issue is a group of Bellevue residents who oppose recreational marijuana. Curley explains they want the buffer zones to remain, which would push pot shops out of town.

“I find it inconsistent that if you can buy a 6-pack of beer close to a day care center or if you got a 7-11 next to something similar, but you treat marijuana like some horrible thing that you want to run out of town,” he said. “What’s the difference between going into Safeway and getting a bottle of vodka, and going into Green Theory and picking up an edible? Just have some consistency.”

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