BY Colt Sweetland

Assistant News Editor

The Kittitas County commissioners signed new land-use regulations on marijuana, even though they have concerns about the lasting effects marijuana will have on the community.

The regulations on marijuana, which were signed by the commissioners on Tuesday, May 6, say outdoor marijuana properties over 20 acres are allowed. Also, lots between 10-20 acres can be used to grow marijuana as long as certain requirements are met. Both light industrial lands, and agricultural zones can be used.

Other conditions include a 60-foot buffer, and fencing around all facilities. Also, the county has decided not to consider retail sales, according to Doc Hansen, a county planning official.

Paul Jewell, one of three county commissioners, voted against the regulations and said that the regulations that were passed were not consistent with what the planning commission recommended and  wished that some of his concerns were addressed in more detail.

“There are a lot of concerns that many of us have around what impacts this is going to have on our local community, and there’s not a lot of help from the state in dealing with these concerns,” Jewell said. “There’s no funding [from the state]; that was something that was really disappointing to me.”

Jewell said that he wished there would have been more support from the state in dealing with marijuana applications and applying Initiative 502 to Kittitas County.

“There’s not any good tools that we have in place to deal with [marijuana], especially when we talk about social issues like public health, youth access and potential concerns around crime.”

Jewell would have supported a ban on marijuana growing and processing in the county, but when he realized that the regulations would pass, he wished that the regulations were stricter.

“I would have preferred regulations that had required more of a robust review to each application that had come in,” Jewell said.

According to Kittitas County Commissioner Obie O’Brien, who voted for the land-use regulations, these regulations were put in place with residents’ safety in mind.

“Is there going to be an impact on the neighborhood because this is a product that often draws unwanted attention from illegal activity?” O’Brien asked. “We need to take into account what are the risks to surrounding people.”

Doc Hansen, a Kittitas County planning official, said that there were a number of factors that needed to be addressed regarding the implementation of marijuana laws in the county, including when licensing needed to occur.

“One of my jobs is to provide the commissioners options under the ranks that they can do,” Hansen said.

The primary focus of Hansen’s job was to help the commissioners figure out where marijuana could be grown in the county and under what regulations.

“The commissioners really didn’t have a decision on whether it was good or bad or if it was going to take place,” Hansen said. “They said the decision has already been made by the voters in the state.”