Inslee urges board to stop spread of ‘pot bars’

SEATTLE — Gov. Jay Inslee wants the state Liquor Control Board to figure out how to stop the spread of bars that allow patrons to consume marijuana on site.

Voters last fall legalized marijuana for adults over 21, but Initiative 502 prohibits the public use of marijuana, which typically would include bars and restaurants.

While most bars are steering clear of allowing pot use until officials come up with rules, a few have been testing the boundaries, The Associated Press reported last week. The AP wrote about two venues in Washington state —Frankie’s Sports Bar and Grill in Olympia and Stonegate in Tacoma — that allow pot use.

That prompted concern from the governor.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“We think the board needs to give this a very hard look,” Inslee spokesman David Postman told The Seattle Times in a story published Sunday. “We will implement the will of the voters and create a well-regulated industry. Washingtonians did not vote for a wide-open policy.”

Liquor Board chairwoman Sharon Foster said she expects the board to try to come up with a rule to deal with the situation.

“We’re proceeding at next week’s board meeting with proposed rule-making to deal with the potential issue,” Foster said Friday.

“Once people are aware this is a business model they’re going to be popping up all over the place,” board enforcement chief Justin Nordhorn warned members in a meeting last week.

He noted that there’s “a loophole in the law that doesn’t allow the board to hold licensees accountable” for such activity.

Washington’s law bans pot distribution by anyone but a licensed seller — and no such licenses will be issued until the end of the year at the earliest. There’s also a statewide smoking ban that prohibits smoking where people work.

Frankie’s allows members of its private smoking room to use tobacco or marijuana. To evade the smoking ban, there’s no smoking allowed at Stonegate — only “vaporizing,” a method that involves heating the marijuana without burning it.

State officials are concerned that marijuana can compound alcohol’s intoxicating effects.

According to the Times, Nordhorn said the state’s new pot law bans use in public view, but doesn’t define public view.

“If you’ve got a private room, and patrons pay a fee to be a quasi-member and they’re not in public view, you run into enforcement problems because they’re not openly consuming in public,” he said.

If patrons are ingesting their own personal supplies, the only enforcement action under the state law is to issue civil infractions, which come with $103 fines, against customers for public use, Nordhorn told The Times.

Board enforcement officers have not yet fined pot-using patrons, because they are waiting for the board to write rules for the new law, he added.

That is more labor- intensive than citing bar owners for violations. It also raises questions about the public’s understanding of the law, Nordhorn said, and whether an education campaign would be a more appropriate starting point than fines.

Frankie Schnarrs told The Times he has no intention of changing his bar’s policy. His pot-patrons are well-behaved, he said, and most are medical-marijuana patients.

“What the hell is the difference,” he said, “if somebody smokes in the parking lot or inside?”

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Everett Historic Theater owner Curtis Shriner inside the theater on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Historic Everett Theatre sale on horizon, future uncertain

With expected new ownership, events for July and August will be canceled. The schedule for the fall and beyond is unclear.

Contributed photo from Snohomish County Public Works
Snohomish County Public Works contractor crews have begun their summer 2016 paving work on 13 miles of roadway, primarily in the Monroe and Stanwood areas. This photo is an example of paving work from a previous summer. A new layer of asphalt is put down over the old.
Snohomish County plans to resurface about 76 miles of roads this summer

EVERETT – As part of its annual road maintenance and preservation program,… Continue reading

City of Everett Engineer Tom Hood, left, and City of Everett Engineer and Project Manager Dan Enrico, right, talks about the current Edgewater Bridge demolition on Friday, May 9, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
How do you get rid of a bridge? Everett engineers can explain.

Workers began dismantling the old Edgewater Bridge on May 2. The process could take one to two months, city engineers said.

Smoke from the Bolt Creek fire silhouettes a mountain ridge and trees just outside of Index on Sept. 12, 2022. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County will host two wildfire-preparedness meetings in May

Meetings will allow community members to learn wildfire mitigation strategies and connect with a variety of local and state agencies.

Helion's 6th fusion prototype, Trenta, on display on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Helion celebrates smoother path to fusion energy site approval

Helion CEO applauds legislation signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson expected to streamline site selection process.

Vehicles travel along Mukilteo Speedway on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Mukilteo cameras go live to curb speeding on Speedway

Starting Friday, an automated traffic camera system will cover four blocks of Mukilteo Speedway. A 30-day warning period is in place.

Carli Brockman lets her daughter Carli, 2, help push her ballot into the ballot drop box on the Snohomish County Campus on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Here’s who filed for the primary election in Snohomish County

Positions with three or more candidates will go to voters Aug. 5 to determine final contenders for the Nov. 4 general election.

Steven M. Falk / The Philadelphia Inquirer / Tribune News Service
James Taylor plays Sunday and Monday at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville.
A&E Calendar for May 22

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Members of Washington State patrol salute the casket of slain trooper Chris Gadd during a memorial cremony on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Opening statements begin in trial of man charged in crash of WSP trooper

Deputy prosecutor described to jurors what began as a routine patrol for Christopher Gadd — “until it wasn’t.”

Aaron Weinstock uses an x-ray machine toy inside the Imagine Children Museum on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Imagine Children’s Museum $250k grant reinstated following federal court order

The federal grant supports a program that brings free science lessons to children throughout rural Snohomish County.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds mulls November property tax levy lid lift

The city is considering options to address its fiscal crisis, including a potential levy higher than originally budgeted.

A person walks up 20th Street Southeast to look at the damage that closed the road on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
WA delegation urges Trump to reconsider request for bomb cyclone aid

The Washington state congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump on… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.