PORT ANGELES — Ten of the 334 retail pot stores that the state Liquor Control Board approved Wednesday would be licensed on the North Olympic Peninsula under proposed rules.
Six marijuana outlets would be in Clallam County and four in Jefferson County.
Each county gets three “at-large” pot stores not assigned to a specific city in addition to two in Port Angeles, one in Port Townsend and one in Sequim.
Retail license allocations are based on population, accessibility and consumption.
“The specific locations would be selected by lottery in the event the number of applications exceeds the allotted amount for the cities and county,” the Liquor Control Board said in a Wednesday memo.
Public hearings on the proposed revised rules will be held in October.
The state is expected to begin accepting applications from marijuana producers, processors and retailers for 30 days beginning Nov. 16.
Liquor Control Board spokesman Brian Smith predicted that it will take three months to process the “rush of applications,” with stores opening in late May or June.
“Today is an important day,” Smith said.
“Now, people will have a good opportunity to see what the system is likely to look like, including the cities.”
King County will have the most retail pot stores with 61, followed by Snohomish County’s 35 and Pierce County’s 31.
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
