DISCOVERY BAY— The North Olympic Peninsula’s first marijuana retail outlet is expected to expand its hours to four days a week starting Friday, while a second Jefferson County shop is expected to open Monday.
“We have only been able to stay open for one day a week before selling out,” said Greg Brotherton, owner of Sea Change Cannabis at 282332 U.S. Highway 101, which opened July 25.
“All of a sudden we are getting product,” Brotherton said. “People who didn’t have a supply before now have plenty available.”
He has scheduled a grand opening celebration from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday.
Music, special deals and giveaways are planned, he said.
Giveaways by law will be restricted to those over 21 years of age.
After Friday, Brotherton plans to operate from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Monday every week.
When more marijuana becomes available he hopes to open every day but will probably shorten the hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., he said.
Herbal Access Retail, 661 Ness’ Corner Road in Port Hadlock will open Monday, said owner Forrest Thompson.
He said it will be a while before it can stay open more than a few days at a time.
Thompson, who has about three pounds of smokable marijuana on hand, plans to open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday.
He will open at the same time the next day and will continue until he runs out of inventory, which he expects will be about two days.
Once it’s all gone, he will close and reopen by Oct. 24.
“The supply is there, but we are limited financially,” Thompson said.
“Once we sell the first batch, we will have enough money to go buy some more.”
Brotherton expects to sell smokable marijuana for $20 a gram, tax included, while Thompson predicts pre-tax grams will sell for $15 to $20.
With a 25 percent tax to the liquor board and 9 percent sales tax, this will end up from $20.10 to $26.80 per gram.
Brotherton, who opened Aug. 1, has been able to stay open on Saturday, selling one or two pounds and closing when the product ran out.
On Friday he expects to open with five different smokable strains. He will add edibles and concentrates in the next few weeks, he said.
“With the outdoor grown product coming in now from Eastern Washington, we will have a good supply.”
Prices will go down, he said, and those savings will be passed on to the consumer.
Thompson agrees with this assessment, saying that growers who previously would not return his calls now have marijuana available.
He would like to stay open five days a week and expects he will be able to do so by the middle of November.
Gracen Hook, who won the lottery for the sole allowable Port Townsend outlet, expects to open after the first of the year.
Hook previously said he planned the retail outlet to take over the space of Peninsula Herbal, 1433 East Sims Way, but now says that he “hasn’t nailed down” the location for the new store.
No other retail shops have opened on the Peninsula.
Voters approved Initiative 502 in Nov. 2012 which legalized the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by those over 21.
Sequim has a moratorium on retail marijuana until February.
Port Townsend in August set zoning conditions for marijuana growing.
Jefferson County has imposed a moratorium on all new marijuana businesses until February.
Clallam County this month passed a six-month ordinance that will keep new growing and processing operations out of medium- and high-density rural neighborhoods.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
