State marijuana restrictions don’t apply to preschools

Officials with the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board say a preschool doesn't meet the criteria that would require marijuana retail stores to be established at least 1,000 feet from them.

Officials wth the city of West Richland contacted the agency last week after learning that a retail marijuana store had been granted a license to operate less than 400 feet away from Kids Space Preschool and Learning Center on Arena Road.

"A pre-school isn't one of the protected entities protected in WAC 314-55-050(10a)," Rebecca Smith, Director of Licensing and Regulation with LCB told West Richland officials through a letter. "While elementary and secondary schools would be considered a restricted entity, a pre-school would not. I conducted research regarding the pre-school also being a daycare center, and wasn't able to find anything to support that claim."

Smith goes on to explain that her agency wasn't responsible for notifying city officials that the license had been granted, because the property is considered to be in the boundaries of Benton County, not West Richland.

West Richland Mayor Brent Gerry believes the property should have a West Richland address because it is surrounded by land that is within the city's boundaries, and that the LCB should have contacted them.

"It was not until the owner of the property called the city about a street cut permit on June 6th that we found out about the Garden LLC marijuana retail store." Officials with the Benton County planning department say they made a courtesy call to West Richland's city hall to advise them about the permit, but Mayor Gerry said in an email to KONA News, "We searched all city emails and found no notification from the state or the county."