Washington state unveils proposed legal pot industry regulations

(REUTERS/Alejandro Acosta)

Washington state has unveiled proposed regulations for the legal pot industry nearly a year after voters passed a ballot initiative legalizing small amounts of marijuana.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board announced that 334 retail pot shops would be set up in the state, with 21 of the shops located in Seattle alone. According to the new rules, the stores must only sell marijuana or marjuana-infused products and can't be attached to another retail store.

The board also eased buffer zone laws that affect how close shops can be to schools, parks, and other places where children congregate. The zone is still defined as being 1,000 feet from those locations, but that measurement is based on commonly traveled paths and not as the crow flies.

Not everyone is pleased with the new regulations. Q13Fox.com reports that former Microsoft executive Jamen Shively is threatening to challenge a rule that an individual or corporation can be issued no more than three store licenses.

"The Liquor Control Board is overstepping its authority," Shively's business partner John Davis said. "Limiting licenses is not mentioned in [ballot initiative] 502."

Public hearings on the rules will be held next month, with a final vote scheduled for October 16. If the rules pass, they will take effect the following month and the final deadline for store license applications would be December 18.

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