T
hree years after Washington state’s first legal cannabis sale — by Bellingham’s Top Shelf, by the way — the giddy early days of legalized recreational pot have settled into a quieter, blissful state. Still, this brave new world has a “can-youbelieve-this?” feel as storefronts sprout and I-5 billboards in the North Sound promote stores like they do tourist attractions. “I love when somebody comes from Kansas, somebody from Australia,” says Bellingham attorney Michael Hiestand, cofounder of the Center for Mindful Use. “There’s kind of a Willy Wonka feel to it.” Come with me, and you’ll be In a world of pure imagination… In the following pages, we look at cannabis through the stories of locals in an industry that has altered the state’s economic landscape. And it’s just getting started. It has been a bumpy road. One of the biggest battles is, predictably, over revenue. Of the excise tax revenue Bellingham generated in
© Diane Padys
Cannabis in the North Sound
2016, for instance, the city gets only about 2 percent — just $88,000 last year — due to a formula that diverts most revenue to the state. Little surprise that Bellingham is responsible for the bulk of pot revenue in Whatcom County. Since 2014, a total $72.9 million of $94.5 million in sales happened here, and the county is sixth among the state’s leaders in processing pot (into flowers, edibles, oils, balms, etc.), according to 502data.com. Whatcom has 33 stores (eight pending) and 69 legal grow operations (13 pending), according to the state. Skagit County has 24 stores and 38 growers. The San Juans, with a small population already known for a laid-back vibe, has four retailers, nine producers. Pot growers in Whatcom and Skagit counties are turning fields and warehouses into grow operations. But don’t worry — cannabis won’t come close to overtaking the wellestablished fruit industry here. Your raspberries are safe. You just now have the option to enjoy them in an enhanced state. Willy Wonka would agree: These are sweet times, indeed.