By Garrett Rudolph
Legal weed is finally a reality in Washington State, and I have to say July 8 was one of the more interesting days I’ve ever been a part of in my journalism career. For one thing, as the editor of a cannabis business magazine, I’ve been pretty well tied in to the fact that the process has taken far longer than anybody expected.
It’s gratifying to see business owners, who have put in hundreds of hours of work, thousands of dollars in start-up costs and endured countless setbacks and obstacles, finally able to bring in the first real revenue of Initiative 502.
And not just for the 502 business owners themselves, but the ancillary businesses joining the green rush that directly (and in some cases, solely) service the cannabis industry — testing labs, lawyers, accountants, insurance companies, scale companies, contractors, etc.
I think the opening day of legal, licensed, recreational, state-regulated marijuana sales was a momentous occasion and a positive sign for the state and the industry moving forward. Even for the businesses that are still mired in the confusion and hassle that is the I-502 application process, I think there was a feeling of relief that the day had finally come. They will get their chance, too. No, there won’t be the fanfare of the first stores opening, but that won’t affect long-term success.
There were a few things that struck me as I started my day at Top Shelf Cannabis in Bellingham (the home of my alma mater), before heading south for the wild mass of people that had converged on Cannabis City in the SODO district of Seattle.
For one thing, I was a little surprised at the relatively small media horde at the Bellingham shop’s 8 a.m. opening. Not to say that it was empty — there were still television vans, radio crews and dozens of reporters and photographers — but I expected the first legal sale in the state at approximately 8:03 that morning would attract a bigger flock of attention, with the Seattle store opening four hours later and leaving plenty of time for reporters to hit both events.
Another thing that amazed me was how open, willing and cooperative the shoppers were with photographers.
I’ve been to plenty of events in my career — ranging from gun shows to Easter egg hunts — where folks shield themselves from the camera, harass the reporters and take a generally adversarial approach to the media. That was not the case July 8, as all the shoppers and store employees were very friendly. In addition to everybody’s acceptance of photographers, I thought the two grand openings I visited were both very well done.
I didn’t see anybody openly smoking pot in the streets. I didn’t see any fights about places in line. In Bellingham, one older gentleman scrounged through his pockets to find he was $3 short of his $46 purchase (damn cash-only industry). The younger man behind him was quick and neighborly to pull out a couple extra crumpled Washingtons from his pocket to cover the difference.
Police presence was both minimal and unnecessary. I didn’t see any officers at the Top Shelf Cannabis opening, and only a couple uniformed cops looked over the scene from across the road at Cannabis City. The Seattle store’s opening did force one lane of traffic to be blocked off on Fourth Avenue, but considering the magnitude of the event, even that was a minimal disruption to the rest of the metro area.
I thought the wild costumes, the wigs, the picket signs, the clever T-shirts, the tie-dye (yes, Mitch … the tie-dye!) all added to the excitement, in much the same way as rabid fans add to a sporting event.
Granted, the opening week was fraught with the mishaps we’ve come to expect with the over-regulated, burgeoning, legal marijuana industry in Washington.
Prices were too high. Aside from the novelty of buying legal weed, most consumers have access to product at half the price — or even cheaper — than what the recreational retail stores were selling for during the opening week. I heard one person say, “Only millionaires will be able to buy weed at these prices.” A wild exaggeration, but the sentiment probably isn’t far off. But we know the prices will come down as more licensed businesses are able to even out the supply and demand teeter-totter. Hopefully, loosening some of the more over-bearing regulations will also allow the cost to come down.
As expected, stores ran out of product, and some that had planned on opening July 8 were forced to delay, due to an inability to acquire product.
The state licensed 24 retailers, but only a small fraction were able open their doors on the first day allowed. They way it was done — with licensed being approved at 1:40 a.m. Monday morning and stores being allowed to open Tuesday at 8 a.m. — seemed like a disaster right from the start. Perhaps the Washington State Liquor Control Board had a valid reason for that timing, but I’m not seeing it. To me, it would have made a lot more sense to approve licenses, then allow five days before opening day, rather than cramming the 24-hour quarantine, the delivery and all the other setup tasks into a 30-hour time frame.
I know the opening of retail stores will do little to quell the distrust and dislike that many potential business owners have for the Liquor Control Board. I know everybody wanted to be first — the first grower licensed, or the first producer/processor to sell product to a retail store. Or the first retail store to open its doors to the public.
But there should be a factor of accomplishment, regardless of who was first and whether your business is next in line for a license, or won’t be licensed until next spring.