After a small number of marijuana retail applicants were wrongfully excluded from the Washington State Liquor Control Board’s spring lottery, the board held another that resulted in eight more potential pot businesses — and one in Federal Way.
Marijuana retail license applicant BB&B won the state lottery on Dec. 16 using a store location in Federal Way. But the current city-enacted moratorium on all marijuana-related business will ensure their licensing process won’t get far.
“I looked it up and found that more than 50 percent of the city of Federal Way voted yes [on Initiative 502], so to me, I think the residents of Federal Way should get mad and demand the city should do what the residents want,” said BB&B co-owner Barbara Ayala.
The moratorium is set to last at least five more months before the Federal Way City Council will vote on a more permanent ban before it expires on May 5.
The three BB&B owners have other marijuana retail applications in other cities as well but Ayala said they’re ranked 35 and 27 so Federal Way’s their best shot.
“It was a total shock to us,” Ayala said. “… Truthfully we’ve been waiting for over a year so you just roll with the punches. We just didn’t really believe that we would get it.”
Liquor board spokesman Mikhail Carpenter said the board held another lottery because of a prior error.
Of roughly 900 applications for marijuana retail businesses, the board wrongfully judged eight applications. Carpenter said it was for stores in locations that border between the city or county, or the applicant had since moved.
Ayala said the Liquor Control Board offered BB&B a compromise. Now they are ranked second in the lottery winners for Federal Way, which have 15 total.
“I thought that it was a good location,” Ayala said about their potential Federal Way spot. “I’m from this area and I thought, ‘Why not?’ and it happened that I was able to secure a property that I felt was within their guidelines.”
Other applicants in the recent drawing won lottery spots in Bremerton and Lake Stevens.
“These places aren’t guaranteed a license,” Carpenter said. “They still have to go through the process.”
Ayala said now it’s a matter of working with the city throughout the next months and hoping legislators come up with a new rule starting after the legislative session. She said she’ll be advocating on behalf of all Federal Way marijuana retail businesses and hopes to connect with others in the area.
“I’m the new kid on the block so I have to find out what the other license holders have tried to do and confirm with them,” she said.
Looking forward, Ayala is hopeful the Legislature will not only consider local municipalities and cities for marijuana tax revenue but that they’ll “put some meat into the medical” law. She said people are taking advantage of medical marijuana’s lack of regulations and taxes, which is hurting recreational marijuana businesses.
“You can get a medical card and pay less money on the medical dispensaries,” she said. “Until they regulate that and bring medical in and devise a tax and price, we’re going to be hard pressed to compete.”
BB&B is interested in putting up a marijuana retail store at the space located at 2012 S. 320th St., Suite F. Other lottery winners include JST International, Modern Creations, Green Grotto and Weedhouse, among others.
The state allowed Federal Way three stores but, because of the snafu, it will now be allowed up to four.
