Seattle is undertaking an effort to license and inspect medical marijuana “stores”, with an eye towards regulating their businesses when the State does not. Most of the existing establishments won’t survive.
Tacoma came up with a simpler plan to get control of their 56 MMJ places: Show a state license or close down. Washington does not issue state licenses to MMJ “dispensaries”, so it’s impossible for these places to comply.
And just the other day, Spokane announced a similar rule.
I’m sure that the courts will be able to sort out the legality of a business required to get a license that doesn’t exist, but by the time we get there it isn’t a pleasant picture. Video of mmj raids and close-downs won’t be quite the publicity the infant legal industry will want to see. On the other hand, those that have paid ridiculous amounts to get their legal licenses, and are now subject to Machiavellian control of their lives might not be supportive of those that pay no taxes, are not subject to any laws, and control about 95% of the market.
Now, throw in the State, which is under deep pressure to fix the mmj situation in Washington as quickly as possible. The State, the cities, the caregiving medical marijuana establishments, the black market which it supplies, and the newly-created legal recreational market and you have a battle pretty similar to northern Iraq.