Lawsuit Challenges Pot Ban in Wenatchee

A lawsuit in Chelan County is challenging the right of cities in the state to ban the recreational sale of marijuana.

Yakima City Attorney Jeff Cutter says he is watching the lawsuit but is not surprised. He expected the suit after both Wenatchee and Yakima banned pot sales.

The state can make a claim that their law is sovereign and that we have to respect it. That’s the issue they’ll be batting around up there.

The suit involves a business in Wenatchee that wants to open a pot shop. The city, however, has banned sales of marijuana.

In the lawsuit filed in Chelan County Superior Court last week, the business owner maintains that cities do not have the authority to overrule state law and state law allows for the licensed and taxed production and sale of marijuana.

The lawsuit seeks a court order finding that Wenatchee's ban is invalid or allowing the business to open without a city business license.