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Welcome back to Weed Wednesday, your weekly dose of pot news. Wondering what this is about? Click. Looking for our previous marijuana coverage? Click. Got a question or tip? Email me at [email protected]

One of the byproducts of the growing social acceptance of marijuana is exploding houses and cars.
Some marijuana users will pack the drug tightly into a glass tube or PVC pipe, pour butane through it and heat the mixture until it turns into a highly potent concentrate. But because butane is so highly flammable people have caused explosions while making the oil.

The problem has caught the attention of the New York Times, which ran an article on the problem on Saturday. It’s caught the attention of the Colorado attorney general, and, locally, it’s caught the attention of Councilman Jon Snyder who has introduced an ordinance that would ban the making of butane hash oil in Spokane.

“Don't do it at home; just don't,” says Snyder. “Find a professional to extract your hash oil. Just don't do it. People compare it to home brewing or home winemaking; it's not really a comparison.”
Snyder points to several instances where DIY butane hash oil operations have gone badly, and he says the issue is a matter of public safety

Under Snyder’s ordinance, only those with processing licenses could make butane hash oil and would they would also be required to get approved equipment, submit to an inspection and get a permit from Fire Department.

Snyder was also in Olympia last week to testify in favor of a bill that would require pot users to stow away their stash while in the car. Snyder says that the bill, which has some opposition, is supposed to mirror current laws that prohibit open containers of alcohol in cars.

“it's aimed at passengers,” he says. “You could say that if someone is smoking pot with the windows closed there’s a chance the driver could get a psychoactive effect from the second-hand smoke.”

He says it’s also aimed at potentially difficult situations where a police officer pulls over a marijuana-perfumed car where the passenger admits to smoking but the driver insists they’re sober.

Here’s the news elsewhere:

Marijuana businesses in states that have legalized pot have run up against a big problem: banks worried about legal risks won’t serve them. But one bank in Oregon is doing so anyway.

Another Colorado-based credit union is attempting to provide banking services to the weed industry.

Get ready for diet weed.

While you’re at it, get ready for weed sex spray.

The attorneys general of Nebraska and Oklahoma are suing Colorado for legalizing pot and allowing the drug to flood over its borders. The governor of Wyoming is considering suing the federal government for letting Colorado legalize pot in the first place.

A Washington couple were investigated for abuse because they smoke pot.

The Spokane Civil Service Commission voted earlier today to investigate whether or not the city’s Business & Development Services Division had violated the civil service system by improperly hiring a temporary worker.

On January 6, Joe Cavanaugh, president of AFSCME Local 270, complained to the commission that Jacqueline Luenow, who was hired as a temporary worker, was performing work that should go to an employee that had gone through the city’s civil service system. City employees hired through the merit-based civil service system must pass an exam and are given union protection.

Cavanaugh told the commission that he understood that there is a place for seasonal or temporary workers in city government, such as Parks and Recreation, which sees its staffing needs change depending on the season. However, he said that he is concerned that the position held by Luenow, who supervises clerical employees, should have gone to an employee that had gone through the civil service system and he wanted the commission to look into it.

“Temporary-seasonal [workers], as I’ve stated earlier and I’ll state it again, are to supplement the [civil service] workforce not supplant it,” he said.

Jan Quintrall, division director of business and development services who has been at the center of hiring-and-firing controversies in the past, made an appearance at the meeting and told the commission that she had originally asked city council to make the position exempt from civil service requirements but was turned down. She said she then approached the commission to begin the civil service testing and hiring process for the position in November and is still waiting. In the meantime, she said, the work needed to be done and she hired a temp.

“It’s a stop-gap just to make sure we have supervision of these clerks,” she said.

Gov. Jay Inslee has unveiled his plan to reduce the state’s sky-high property crime rate (a problem present in Spokane) that’s based on the idea that repeat offenders should receive supervision and treatment.

According to the a press release from the governor’s office, the problem is that Washington sends repeat property offenders to prison for sentences that are two to three times longer on average than other states that have sentencing guidelines. However, when the offenders have done their time, they aren’t supervised, and, according to the governor’s office, there is research that shows that supervision and treatment are the most effective methods to reduce reoffending.

The problem, according to the report, is particularly bad in high-population areas. In fiscal year 2013, King County, which accounts for 29 percent of the state’s population, saw 33 percent of the state’s reported property crime. Spokane County, which accounts for 7 percent of the state’s population, saw 11 percent of its reported property crime.

If enacted, the plan, which has bipartisan support, would require a mandatory period of post-release supervision and treatment for property offenders.

The Washington State Institute for Public Policy, another think tank, found the plan would reduce crime by 1,000 victimizations annually and the number of people reoffending would fall by 13 percent. It would also save the state up to $290 million in corrections spending over a six-year period.

The plan is outlined outlined in a report by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, a think tank with offices in Seattle, Washington D.C. and elsewhere.

Welcome back to Weed Wednesday, your weekly dose of pot news. Wondering what this is about? Click. Looking for our previous marijuana coverage? Click. Got a question or tip? Email me at: [email protected]

Airway Heights is getting a new member of the “I-502 family” called the Top Shelf.

The proprietor of the recreational marijuana shop is Florence Childs, an 80-year-old who opened it up on Saturday, January 10. Her family always told her that she was the luckiest person they knew. So when the lottery opened up for licenses, she decided to apply, drawing a license.

She doesn’t smoke any pot herself, but, she says, “I believe it’s here to stay, and I believe it does a lot of good.”

The store’s selection of bud is, for the moment, grown entirely in Spokane, Cheney and Liberty Lakes, says Jenn Bordoy, the store’s manager.

“I just think from having gone from a bartender to budtender that the local just does better with people,” she says.

The store sells marijuana-infused cookies for $12, grams ranging from $15 to $25 and half grams of concentrates that go for $20 to $40.

The Top Shelf, located at 1305 S. Hayford Road, is having its grand opening on Saturday, January 24. It’ll feature glass-blowers and local farmers who will be available with “sniffy jars” and answers about their products.

Childs and Bordoy stressed that they they don’t give any advice on medical marijuana or give out any samples. So don’t expect any.

Here’s the news:

Under federal law, marijuana is as bad as heroin or LSD. But a federal judge in California could challenge that.

Rumors are swirling in New York City that Mayor Bill de Blasio and his wife regularly smoke pot. Gawker reports that these rumors are coming from the police, who’ve had a frosty relationship with the mayor.

The Buckeye State might be next to legalize pot. 

Indiana lawmakers pushing for some sort of medical marijuana bill can’t get other legislators on board and it’s all the fault of states with more liberalized pot laws. 

About half of Michigan voters want to legalize pot.

Illinois has a medical marijuana law, but Pat Quinn, who recently left the governor’s office, didn’t allow a single license for growers or sellers despite vowing to do so. His successor, Republican Bruce Rauner, isn’t much groovier.

Lastly, here’s a video of Nancy Grace and 2 Chainz arguing about marijuana:


This post has been updated to reflect a new grand opening date for Top Shelf.

For the third time in a row Spokane City Council had a long hearing about emotional subjects. People packed council chambers on Monday night overflowing into an adjacent gallery to talk about council ordinances related to prostitution and abortion.

Except the second issue wasn't really about abortion; it was about not blocking driveways, according to Council President Ben Stuckart. At least that's what he attempted to make the meeting about, with limited success.

On the agenda was an ordinance that would make it illegal to block a driveway in the public right-of-way. The ordinance was specifically crafted to stop protesters who regularly gather at the Planned Parenthood on East Indiana Avenue from blocking the driveway.

Stuckart wanted to talk about driveways, but most of the 80 people who signed up to speak during the public comment period had other plans.

The first person to speak began talking about his pro-life views, but Stuckart cut him off, saying “we are not going to have a full-blown abortion-good-or-bad debate.” The man countered that abortion was on the council's website, but Stuckart told him it was not.

At a few points during the hearing, Stuckart, who said he was trying not to be “grumpy,” warned the audience not to clap or cheer for speakers, which had led to Stuckart gaveling the meeting early at the last meeting.

Little of what was said during the public comment period was about driveways. Several women told stories about their past abortions and how they were still haunted by them. Others complained that the ordinance was abridging free speech and would invite a lawsuit. One man spoke of “premeditated infanticide.” Still, others spoke of the importance of being able to access reproductive services. One volunteer at Planned Parenthood said that protesters dress up like staff to trick clients, many of whom are distraught by the time they enter the clinic.

During one woman's emotional description of her abortion, Stuckart interrupted her and tried to refocus the conversation.

“I do want to keep this to driveways,” he said, referring to the text of the ordinance that added nine words to an existing city law originally intended to stop aggressive panhandling. “We keep veering off.”

“We need to stay here with those words,” he said.

But Councilman Mike Fagan objected. He said that a council white paper related to the ordinance made it clear that the ordinance was aimed at the situation at Planned Parenthood.

“This ordinance is directed to a specific group,” said Fagan.

That specific group is Sidewalk Advocates for Life. John Weingarten, the director of the group's local chapter, told the council that all his group does is smile, wave and make a roll-down-the-window motion to people driving into Planned Parenthood. If the people stop, he said, an advocate will hand them literature on other options, about half of which he said are grateful to have received.

“We have not blocked the driveway or interfered with traffic,” Weingarten told the council, adding that no one from his group has been arrested despite frequent visits from the police during protests.

After about three hours of public testimony it was time for council members to consider and vote on the ordinance.

Fagan brought up how one person during the public comment period spoke admiringly of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. He then compared Sanger to Nazis and eugenicists.

“Please do your history,” he said.

He also said that the ordinance was clearly meant to undermine the free speech rights of protesters at Planned Parenthood.

Taking a confessional tone, Fagan said that he had “been there, done that” with abortion and described it as a scarring experience for both the man and woman involved.

“Here I am some 38 years later, and I'm still wondering about the 'what if,'” he said.

Councilman Mike Allen, the council's other conservative member, said that he crafted the original city law that the new ordinance was amending. While he said he understood why protesters felt targeted, he ended up supporting the ordinance, which passed 6-1.

City Council also passed an ordinance meant to crack down on prostitution along an area on East Sprague Avenue that statistics show attracts an outsized number of calls to the police related to prostitution. The ordinance, which is designed to reduce the demand for prostitution, creates a special zone around the stretch on East Sprague where anyone suspected of soliciting or promoting prostitution would have their vehicle impounded. Half of the money generated from fines from the ordinance would go to programs meant to prevent prostitution.

During public comment, the council heard from business owners and residents who said that the ordinance would help clean up the area. One woman said she was solicited about a dozen times while waiting for the bus in the area and said she didn't feel safe. Other people told council that they worried that the “world's oldest profession” would just be driven elsewhere by the ordinance and there was no way to truly address the issue.

“However, the truth is we don't really know what kind of impact this will have on people working in prostitution,” said Lutheran Community Services Northwest Advocacy and Prevention Director Erin Williams Heuter.

“We have no way of knowing if this ordinance will drive prostitution into more secluded meetings and how this will increase vulnerability in this population,” she said, adding that she hoped city council would keep an eye on the issue.

The odds are high that Monday’s Spokane City Council meeting will be another long, heated one, as the city’s legislative body takes up another hot-button issue. Earlier this week, the council considered a controversial initiative related to immigration. This time it’s related to one of the most emotionally charged and divisive issues in the country: abortion.

Currently, in Spokane it’s illegal to block the sidewalk, and it’s illegal to obstruct vehicular traffic. But it’s legal to block driveways. This aspect of the city’s legal code, says Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, is being used by Planned Parenthood protesters to prevent people from entering the clinic.

“People have the right to protest, but they do not have the right to block a private driveway,” says Stuckart.

The only reason that the proposed ordinance is at all controversial, says Stuckart, is because it involves abortion provider Planned Parenthood.

“Think about if protesters were doing this to Avista or Sacred Heart,” he adds.

The proposed ordinance adds any driveway in the public right-of-way to the city’s existing ordinance that prohibits interfering with vehicular traffic. “Interfering,” under the law, includes activities designed to “intimidate” or “aggressively solicit” passersby.

Councilwoman Candace Mumm says there has been lots of disinformation regarding the ordinance and that it applies to driveways for all businesses and homeowners, not just Planned Parenthood. She also says that Planned Parenthood isn't the only place to have problems with blocked driveways. 

Protests outside of abortion clinics can become heated and confrontational. Some jurisdictions have passed laws restricting protests. Over the summer, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that these restrictions are unconstitutional.

Stuckart says that this ordinance has been thoroughly vetted and shouldn’t run into any legal challenges.

John Weingarten, the director of the local chapter of Sidewalk Advocates for Life, says that he doesn’t even consider his group’s activities outside of Planned Parenthood as amounting to protesting. He says that people involved with the group hand out literature to people entering the clinic letting them know that there are other organizations that provide women’s health services.

“We are not protesters,” he says. “We are just offering loving alternatives.”

“Nobody that I’m aware of has blocked anyone from Planned Parenthood,” he says. “No one has even caused them to be delayed.”

Weingarten says that people from his group have at times engaged with people in cars in Planned Parenthood’s driveway, but they’ve taken care not to block it. He also says that he’s never seen anyone arrested at a gathering outside Planned Parenthood.

“I think what it is is that Planned Parenthood is finding that our literature is being accepted,” he says.

Councilman Mike Fagan, a conservative members of the council, says that he expects opponents of the ordinance to show up.

At the last council meeting, Stuckart gaveled the meeting to a close early after supporters of an immigration-related ordinance continued to clap and cheer during the public comment period in violation of council rules. Many of those in attendance bristled at Stuckart’s actions, and he says that the reaction has continued online in social media.

“Someone calling me a fascist for running a meeting with rules is quite astonishing,” says Stuckart of some things he’s seen online.

He says that he should have just ended the public comment period instead of ending the meeting. He also says he will insist that council rules be followed in the upcoming meeting. 

Welcome back to Weed Wednesday, your weekly dose of pot news. Wondering what this is about? Click. Looking for our previous marijuana coverage? Click. Got a question or tip? Email me at [email protected].

In Washington state, the big news this week was proposed changes to the state’s medical marijuana system, which has been kept separate from the recreational system in order to ensure that patients have access to the drug. Lawmakers are set to gather in Olympia next week, and changes could be on the horizon for how pot is regulated in the state.

One bill proposed by Sen. Ann Rivers, R- La Center, would create new licenses for medical marijuana dispensaries who would be required to test the strength of their product in much the same way recreational pot is, reports The Associated Press. The bill would also only allow these stores to sell edibles and no smokable dried pot, pointing out that smoking is considered unhealthy. It would also place new restrictions on collective gardens used to grow medical pot.

A competing bill from state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, would effectively merge the state’s medical and recreational systems together, an idea that was recently endorsed by Seattle’s city attorney and opposed by Seattle’s mayor.

However, medical marijuana advocates are reluctant to put both the two systems under one regulatory umbrella. Recreational marijuana is heavily taxed and patient advocates worry if the two systems are combined sick people who rely on the drug will have a harder time getting it. There are also concerns that patients won’t be able to get advice on the therapeutic effects of various strains at a recreational dispensary.

"Instead of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole by forcing medical marijuana into the adult-use program, policymakers should be adopting a regulatory framework that fully implements the state's 16-year-old medical use law, thereby better protecting and preserving the needs of patients," said Kari Boiter, Washington state coordinator for Americans for Safe Access, an organization that advocates on behalf of medical marijuana patients, in a prepared statement.

In other news:

Last month, the attorneys general of Oklahoma and Nebraska brought a lawsuit against Colorado asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the state’s marijuana legalization law, arguing that weed was spilling across its borders. It turns out that some groovy Oklahoma lawmakers are telling their state’s AG to mellow out on the lawsuit - for state’s rights, of course.

Colorado has launched its “Good to Know” campaign that’s intended to educate people about the ins-and-outs of its marijuana law, reports USA Today. For instance, it’s good to know that you’re not supposed to give weed to kids or take it to states where it’s not legal.

Illinois’ medical marijuana program has been in effect for over a year, but only one person to date has used it.

States that have legalized marijuana, recreationally and medicinally, have created booms among certain industries. In New York state, it’s expected to give a boost to an unexpected industry: lobbyists.

There is a group of people in Spokane, and elsewhere, who are not happy with City Council President Ben Stuckart, who on Monday gaveled to a close an unusually quarrelsome hearing on a controversial initiative that could change how city employees, including police officers, deal with undocumented immigrants. Here’s our coverage of the meeting.

Someone called up Stuckart and left a very salty voicemail that includes a new nickname for the council president. Adam McDaniel, Stuckart’s aide, appears to have posted it to YouTube.

Warning: some of the language in the recording is not G-rated.

From the very start, U.S. Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho),  has had a tense relationship with John Boehner. He came to Washington saying, essentially, that he wasn't there to make friends. He accused Boehner of "abandoning conservatives with debt-ceiling" plans. And two years ago, when Boehner was up for reelection as Speaker of the House, Labrador stood there, silent as his name was called, refusing to vote for Boehner or anyone else.
“I decided to speak with my silence,” Labrador told the Inlander then. “There was nobody at that moment I thought would be a good speaker.” (Libertarian Republican Justin Amash voted for Labrador as speaker.)

He had tried, futilely, to organize opposition to Boehner's leadership. 

He's said he believes Boehner is a good man, but sometimes too naive, too unwilling to take a strong stand. He's bristled at Boehner's negotiating tactics. Yet during the government shutdown at the end of 2013, Labrador praised Boehner's initial resolve and unwillingness to back down. "I think he's done a very good job with this," Labrador told the Inlander.

Labrador's remained ambitious and willing to challenge party leadership. He had a brief, relatively futile campaign for House Majority Leader last year.  

But this year, there were even more even opposing Boehner's re-election. Twenty-five representatives chose to vote instead for representatives like Rand Paul, Jeff Sessions, Louie Gohmert and Daniel Webster (not the one you're thinking of).

But Labrador wasn't among them. He voted for Boehner. 

In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Labrador explains how he was convinced: 

Before I cast my vote for Mr. Boehner, I spoke with him multiple times. He assured me that he wants to change the way the House is run. He cited my successful efforts last August in bringing conservatives together to pass two bills that would have secured the border and prevented Obama’s illegal executive actions. He asked for my help moving the House in a more conservative direction and promised that this would be a model for how he’ll conduct himself as Speaker in the 114th Congress.

But lest Boehner think Labrador is sending mixed signals, his statement makes his feelings clear,  explaining that his "vote for Mr. Boehner is not an endorsement of his past leadership" and that "every time over the past four years that the Speaker ignored the views of the Republican majority and the voice of the American people, I opposed him."

The first City Council meeting of the year was uncharacteristically unruly and dramatic, with an exasperated Council President Ben Stuckart gaveling the meeting to a close early and storming out during the public comment period for a controversial initiative related to how Spokane police handle undocumented immigrants.

At issue was a proposed ballot initiative from Spokane resident Jackie Murray that would reverse a city policy that prohibits city employees, including police, from inquiring about someone’s immigration status.

The measure drew over 30 people to City Council chambers to testify. Many of them were older. Most of them were white. A few didn’t even live in Spokane.

Some spoke about how this was an issue of equality before the law. Some speakers invoked concerns that the policy would make Spokane a magnet for “terrorists,” “criminals” and “illegals” who would be a drain on resources. Some cited things they had heard on Patriot Radio and other conservative media.

A handful of people defended the city’s policy and pushed back against those who supported the effort to strike it down.

“I am disgusted so far with the testimony from the public,” said Alfredo Llamedo, a social work student at Eastern Washington University, who told his story of immigrating from Cuba as a child.

“This is the land of opportunity, not of hate, and all I've heard tonight is hate,” Llamedo told the council.

Stuckart, whose father passed away last week, warned the audience that he was “short-fused” that evening and that he would gavel the meeting to a close if people broke council decorum by applauding and cheering during the public comment period. After the crowd continued to ignore Stuckart’s warnings he testily said “that’s it” and gaveled the meeting, sparking an uproar from people in attendance. 

George McGrath, who regularly speak at city council meetings, stepped up to the microphone and began berating the decision, calling it “iron-fisted.” After he refused to step down, he was escorted out by a police officer.

Councilman Jon Snyder, who serves as president pro tem, told the crowd that the council meeting would continue if people agreed to respect the rules.

“This has never happened ever in the five years I've been on council because people respect the rules that we have here,” he said.

After public comment resumed, Murray, the sponsor of the initiative, addressed the council. Earlier in the night, she had a terse exchange with Stuckart when the council passed an ordinance that required political committees active in Spokane to have at least one officer who is a registered voter in the city. The ordinance was crafted to prevent political groups from outside Spokane from trying to influence local elections. Murray, whose initiative is sponsored by the group Respect Washington, expressed concerns that it was targeting her, which Stuckart denied.

Murray told the council that her initiative was about fairness.

“My father is a legal immigrant from Jamaica. I'm black,” said Murray.

“All I'm asking is for everyone to do the same thing my dad did,” she continued. “There's nothing wrong with that; it's not racist.”

Under city law, when a citizen initiative is sponsored, the council has the option of voting it into law or sending it to voters, neither of which city lawmakers have done in living memory. If they do neither, the initiative is vetted by the city and supporters can begin collecting signatures.

Councilman Mike Fagan introduced a motion to make the initiative law, which failed. He introduced another to send it directly to voters, which also failed.

The initiative now goes to city hearing examiner to look into its legal validity. After passing that hurdle and going through the City Clerk’s Office, supporters can begin gathering signatures. It could be on the November ballot.