Locals line up for shot at pot market

Lopez businesses apparently don’t want to have anything to do with marijuana - growing it, processing it or selling it.

Lopez businesses apparently don’t want to have anything to do with marijuana – growing it, processing it or selling it.

On Nov. 26, the Washington State Liquor Control Board, which is charged with regulating “legal marijuana” after the 2012 voter approval of a legalization initiative, released the first list of applicants for producing, processing and retailing licenses. No applicants for any license were from Lopez Island.

Of 445 producer applications, 328 processor applications and 159 retailer applications, only 10 came from San Juan County – six “growers,” three processors and only one retailer.

The one application for a retail store is from “Evergreen State of Mind Smokeshop” of San Juan Island, but a business named “Island Grown Foods” at the same address also applied for grower and processor licenses.

Under WSLCB regulations, the same licensee can have both a “producer” and “processor” license, but a retailer license cannot be held by either a producer or processor.

The only individual person who applied for a license was Peter A. DeLorenzi of Friday Harbor, who applied for a producer (grower) license. The other applicants for producers licenses were Four Nineteen and 1/2 of Eastsound, Billy’s Goat (Greatest of All Things) of Orcas Island, NW Connoisseurs of Deer Harbor, and Dragonleaf of Friday Harbor. Billy’s, Island Grown and NW Connoisseurs applied for both producer and processor licenses.

The license application window closes Dec. 19. If more than one applicant files for one of the retailing licenses allocated to each of San Juan, Orcas and Lopez islands, a drawing will decide the winner.