Title
AN ORDINANCE declaring a four-month moratorium on the acceptance of applications for or the establishment or location of marijuana producers, marijuana processors and marijuana retailers; and declaring an emergency.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. King County has authority, under constitutional police powers, home rule authority and the Washington state Growth Management Act, chapter 36.70A RCW ("the GMA"), to establish a moratorium on establishment of certain classifications of land uses and to preclude the acceptance of related development applications while the county studies the impacts of those land uses.
B. In 1990, the Washington state Legislature adopted the GMA in order to, in part, facilitate the preservation of rural character.
C. The King County Comprehensive Plan ("the KCCP"), as updated in June 2014 by Ordinance 17842, defines "rural growth" as "growth that is scaled to be compatible with and maintains the traditional character of the Rural Area."
D. On November 6, 2012, the voters of the state of Washington passed Washington state Initiative Measure No. 502, providing a framework under which a limited number of recreational marijuana businesses were authorized to produce, process and retail under a state licensing system.
E. In response to Initiative 502, King County adopted ordinances 17710 and 17841 to regulate recreational marijuana producers, processors and retail businesses within unincorporated King County.
F. Over the past several years, specific concerns have been raised within the community regarding the proliferation and operation of marijuana uses in unincorporated King County.
G. In July 2015, Chapter 70, Laws of Washington 2015 incorporated distribution of medical marijuana products into the recreational marijuana regulatory system.
H. In July 2015, Chapter 4, Laws of Washington 2015 2nd Special Session further clarified the recreational marijuana regulator...
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