Business Story

Glassphemy Will Not Sell Marijuana

Local tobacco shop to avoiding heavily regulated pot sales

The list of possible locations for the legal sale of marijuana in Pullman got a little shorter as the owner of Glassphemy said that her shop would not be a marijuana retailer come next spring.

Owner Willow Falcon said the biggest obstacle in obtaining a license to sell marijuana in her store is the location.

The sale of marijuana cannot take place within 1,000 feet of a school or public library; this poses a problem for Falcon, as her store is one city block from the Pullman library.

Falcon said finding a location conducive to good business and that adheres to the restrictions is much harder in a small town such as Pullman.

Glassphemy cites it's location in downtown Pullman
as one of the reasons it will not sell marijuana

“I would want my shop in a high traffic zone,” Falcon said. “As far as small towns go there are not a lot of places that are 1,000 feet from a school or a library or a day care.”

Additional restrictions prohibit the sale of certain items in the same location as marijuana.

“There are a lot of things in my store like shisha and hookahs, those would not be things I would be able to sell if I sold pot,” Falcon said. “Those are restrictions that turned me off a little bit.”

Falcon also said that after all the restrictions the only real option would be to open a new store to sell

the marijuana, and that was not something she is interested in.

Students are growing frustrated with the restraints and some are worried that the complexity of the rules will drive some potential shop owners away.

“I could see those restrictions driving a lot of people away but if you’re determined enough I guess you could find a spot,” said student Joel Ronnfeltd.

Ronnfeltd believes all the added limitations are a result of a negative view on the drug.

“There’s always going to be people up and arms saying that marijuana is bad, and it should not be legalized,” Ronnfeltd said. “Like any other town, Pullman is going to have both sides of the spectrum.”

Falcon said that she sees a future for marijuana sales in Pullman despite the negative feelings towards marijuana.

“A year from now, it’s going to be some kids with some wild ideas,” Falcon said. “I would anticipate some college students who are near graduation opening up a shop, that’s what I would anticipate.”

Washington State University will uphold it’s ban on marijuana on the Pullman campus regardless of the new state law and the shops soon to come as President Elson Floyd has previously stated. 

In September the Pullman City Council decided to place a six month moratorium on the legal sale of marijuana, which means that business can apply for licenses beginning in March with shops beginning to surface soon after.

Pullman has been allocated three stores for the sale of marijuana, a figure that was handed down by the Washington State Liquor Control Board. The allocation comes after a 55 percent majority passed initiative 502 last November.

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