Pot in Wallingford

Mike Baker at the AP recently compiled a map of all the locations of proposed marijuana retail shops in Washington State. There are a total of 1,312 in the state, and 409 in the city of Seattle. Ballard claims the most for its neighborhood, with a total of 19, but Wallingford clocks in with a respectable 14. The map is driven, in large part by the tangled set of laws that restrict where pot shops may legally operate (e.g., not within 1,000′ of parks, schools, arcades, libraries, community centers, public transit centers).

But don’t get excited yet: the City of Seattle will be licensing only a total of 21 stores citywide, so it’s unlikely that Wallingford will end up with more than one, if any.

Either way, it’s been fun watching Colorado pop the cherry on legal retail sales: reports are that even with prices set at twice the black market norm, many outlets are selling out quickly (although this could be due to the giddy enthusiasm for the novelty, rather than a sustainable pattern). What will the Day 1 party be like around here if there’s a Wallingford shop?

(Thanks for the tip, Mike Ruby)