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r , <br /> ORDINANCE NO. <br /> An Ordinance establishing a moratorium on the establishment of additional <br /> retail marijuana.stores and marijuana cooperatives, and declaring an <br /> emergency to exist <br /> Whereas,the City Council fmds the following: <br /> 1. State Initiative 502 ("I-502"),approved by Washington voters in November 2012, <br /> provides a framework for licensing and regulating the production,processing and retail <br /> sale of recreational marijuana. <br /> 2. In July 2015,the City adopted land use regulations based on available information at the <br /> time in order to provide policy and regulatory guidance and facilitate the review of <br /> recreational marijuana license applications within City limits. <br /> 3. The State Legislature enacted the Cannabis Patient Protection Act in 2015, establishing <br /> regulations for the formerly unregulated medical marijuana system and aligning it with <br /> the existing recreational system. <br /> 4. In response to changes in state law adopted in the last legislative session,the State Liquor <br /> and Cannabis Board has been working through its rulemaking process to establish the <br /> administrative procedures and standards for integration of medical marijuana into the <br /> existing recreational marijuana marketplace, and,as part of that process,the State is <br /> looking to expand the existing cap on retail marijuana stores in Everett at an earlier date <br /> than the City anticipated,promulgate other potential rule changes, and establish a new <br /> class of use,the marijuana cooperative. <br /> 5. The City's existing regulations were adopted in.response to I-502 and associated State <br /> rules regarding the recreational marijuana marketplace,and were not necessarily <br /> designed to address the subsequent changes made by the State regarding medical <br /> marijuana,including a potential significant increase in the number of stores allowed at an <br /> earlier date than anticipated, and the potential incorporation of new uses. <br /> 6. The State is, at this present time,processing applications for retail marijuana uses <br /> potentially in excess of the number previously approved, and there are concerns <br /> regarding the potential issuance of additional applications under the City's existing <br /> regulations. <br /> 7. In order to preserve the City's regulatory authority and the validity of its legislative <br /> process, it is necessary to put a temporary moratorium on the establishment of new <br /> marijuana retail uses and the establishment of marijuana cooperatives until a reevaluation <br /> process has been completed. <br /> 16 <br />