MONROE — The City Council deliberated and decided against the possibility of allowing marijuana retailers within city limits at its most recent meeting.
Origins Cannabis, which operates in nearby areas, had asked Monroe to reconsider. It wants to open in the city, and has two licenses available for cannabis retail in Monroe.
The council ultimately decided against advancing the idea further.
Monroe’s ban was written into code in 2015.
Several council members last week weighed in with reasons ranging from a worry about increased crime, DUIs and youth access for why cannabis should not be sold within the city.
City staff presented comprehensive information on the benefits and challenges of allowing cannabis-related uses within Monroe.
Councilmember Kyle Fisher thanked staff for their work in the presentation, but cited a concern about crime.
“There are 471 shops in the state, and 140 of them were smashed into, so that’s a 30% chance you get smashed into and robbed. That’s not something I want for the community,” Fisher said.
Council member Jacob Walker wanted to leave the decision to the voters because he felt there was support.
“To me, an advisory vote would help us a lot in determining where are we now because the precincts of Monroe in the city limits voted 53% for the initiative in 2012 at that time,” Walker said. “I want to say I just saw that National support for the legalization of marijuana was at like 35% (and) now it’s above 70%. So I’m very curious because again as, as a representative government, if we find out that 70% of our city thinks that we should. I would personally feel a responsibility to really consider that, something like this.”
Currently, residents travel outside of the city into the county to buy marijuana and cannabis products with the closest location far north of town.
Origins Cannabis’s owner Sean Miller advocated for the removal of the ban.
He said Monroe residents voted in the affirmative to legalize marijuana on the Initiative 502 ballot measure to legalize marijuana in Washington in 2012.
He also mentioned that in 2024, an independent study was done to gauge interest in access to retail cannabis, and 63% of the residents in that study voiced through a vote that they wanted to have cannabis retail in Monroe.
The city code is Monroe Municipal Code 22.56, which states that growing, producing, processing and sale of marijuana is prohibited in all zoning districts of the city
