96 in county apply for licenses to go into pot biz

  • By Jerry Cornfield Herald writer
  • Tuesday, November 26, 2013 7:05pm
  • Business

EVERETT – One day, in the not too distant future, you may find yourself inside Woody’s Weed Warehouse on Evergreen Way eyeing a line of marijuana products produced by Wacky Tobacky in Stanwood.

Or maybe you’ll drop by Bud Man on Hartford Drive in Lake Stevens to sniff the aroma of the latest strain grown and harvested indoors by the owner’s friends at Just Herb.

While the possibilities for buying marijuana legally in Washington won’t be endless, they are going to be plentiful given the initial tide of license applications received by the state.

The state Liquor Control Board on Tuesday released the names of the 929 applicants for licenses to produce, process and sell marijuana received since Nov. 18, when the window for applying opened. The deadline to apply is Dec. 19.

The state is in the process of reviewing each application and doesn’t expect to issue any licenses until late February or early March 2014.

Of the 929 applicants, 96 want to set up shop in Snohomish County including 35 who want to grow, 48 who want to process and 13 looking to operate retail stores in Everett, Lake Stevens, Monroe, Lynnwood, Snohomish, Stanwood and Edmonds.

“This is the first real glance at where the applications have been received from. You’ll be able to see in the community where people are looking to locate,” said Brian Smith, spokesman for the liquor board which will update the list next week. “I think people from city planners to law enforcement to average citizens are going to look at it at least out of curiosity.”

Donivian Demar of Snohomish, the 27-year-old owner of Just Herb, said he was unimpressed with the number.

“I was expecting thousands of people to apply since it is seen as a kind of a gold rush thing,” he said. “Maybe it is just the serious people.”

As of Tuesday morning, there were 444 applications for pot growing licenses and 327 for packaging cannabis into a variety of smokeable, edible and infusible products. Dozens of people applied for both as allowed under the rules enacted by the state Liquor Control Board.

The state also received 158 requests for licenses to operate a retail store in which people 21 years and older will be able to legally buy marijuana and marijuana products over the counter. The board intends to allow up to 334 pot shops statewide, including up to 35 in Snohomish County.

Only 13 retail license requests had come in as of Tuesday but of those, five are in Everett, the maximum number the state is allotting to the city. Lynnwood has two requests, which is the limit allocated there.

In Monroe, which is allowed one store, there are two license applications. This sets up the possibility of a lottery to award the license.

Judging by how budding entrepreneurs named their enterprises, the legal marijuana industry is going to be a colorful one.

Among the stores, there’s Dank’s Wonder Emporium in Everett; Ye Olde Dope Shoppe, in Lake Forest Park; 420 Hash in Lynnwood, Sweet Mary Jane’s in Seattle; Maui Wowie in Redmond; and Happy Daze, in Selah.

As far as growers, they got creative too with applications for Holy Smokes Farms in Camano Island and The THC Brothers in Ridgefield.

Then there is the less flamboyant Oliver’s Farm run by 65-year-old Donald Burks on 50 acres outside Arlington. He grows fruit and vegetables today. By next year he’s looking to try his hand at marijuana, with a focus on producing high-quality seedlings for sale. He’s applied for a license for an operation between 10,000 and 30,000 square feet.

“I thought I’d give it a try,” he said. “I don’t know anything about marijuana. I know how to produce seeds. My interest is in providing premium seed stocks to other growers.”

He’s not put off by the thousands of dollars he’ll need to invest to comply with all the state standards.

“I have the facilities and I have the means. Every farmer is always looking for a new cash crop,” he said. “This industry has great possibility, but nobody really knows how it will work out.”

A list of applicants of marijuana business licenses can be found at www.liq.wa.gov.

Herald writer Scott North contributed to this report.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com

Snohomish County marijuana license applications

All license types

Type Count
Marijuana processor 35
Marijuana producer Tier 1 16
Marijuana producer Tier 2 19
Marijuana producer Tier 3 13
Marijuana retailer 13
Total 96

All license types by city

City Count
Snohomish 20
Everett 16
Lake Stevens 12
Stanwood 7
Monroe 7
Marysville 7
Arlington 6
Sultan 5
Lynnwood 4
Granite Falls 3
Woodinville 2
Mountlake Terrace 2
Gold Bar 2
Bothell 2
Edmonds 1
Total 96

Marijuana retailer

City Count
Everett 5
Monroe 2
Lynnwood 2
Stanwood 1
Snohomish 1
Lake Stevens 1
Edmonds 1
Total 13

Marijuana processor

City Count
Snohomish 7
Lake Stevens 5
Everett 5
Stanwood 3
Marysville 3
Sultan 2
Monroe 2
Arlington 2
Woodinville 1
Mountlake Terrace 1
Lynnwood 1
Granite Falls 1
Gold Bar 1
Bothell 1
Total 35

Marijuana producer Tier 1

(Less than 2,000 square feet)

City Countofid
Snohomish 3
Marysville 2
Lake Stevens 2
Granite Falls 2
Everett 2
Woodinville 1
Stanwood 1
Monroe 1
Lynnwood 1
Bothell 1
Total 16

Marijuana producer Tier 2

(2,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet)

City Count
Snohomish 4
Sultan 3
Lake Stevens 3
Everett 3
Stanwood 2
Marysville 2
Monroe 1
Gold Bar 1
Total 19

Marijuana producer Tier 3

(10,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet)

City Count
Snohomish 5
Arlington 4
Mountlake Terrace 1
Monroe 1
Lake Stevens 1
Everett 1
Total 13

All marijuana license applicants by city

City Type Count
Arlington Marijuana processor 2
Arlington Marijuana producer Tier 3 4
Bothell Marijuana processor 1
Bothell Marijuana producer Tier 1 1
Edmonds Marijuana retailer 1
Everett Marijuana processor 5
Everett Marijuana producer Tier 1 2
Everett Marijuana producer Tier 2 3
Everett Marijuana producer Tier 3 1
Everett Marijuana retailer 5
Gold Bar Marijuana processor 1
Gold Bar Marijuana producer Tier 2 1
Granite Falls Marijuana processor 1
Granite Falls Marijuana producer Tier 1 2
Lake Stevens Marijuana processor 5
Lake Stevens Marijuana producer Tier 1 2
Lake Stevens Marijuana producer Tier 2 3
Lake Stevens Marijuana producer Tier 3 1
Lake Stevens Marijuana retailer 1
Lynnwood Marijuana processor 1
Lynnwood Marijuana producer Tier 1 1
Lynnwood Marijuana retailer 2
Marysville Marijuana processor 3
Marysville Marijuana producer Tier 1 2
Marysville Marijuana producer Tier 2 2
Monroe Marijuana processor 2
Monroe Marijuana producer Tier 1 1
Monroe Marijuana producer Tier 2 1
Monroe Marijuana producer Tier 3 1
Monroe Marijuana retailer 2
Mountlake Terrace Marijuana processor 1
Mountlake Terrace Marijuana producer Tier 3 1
Snohomish Marijuana processor 7
Snohomish Marijuana producer Tier 1 3
Snohomish Marijuana producer Tier 2 4
Snohomish Marijuana producer Tier 3 5
Snohomish Marijuana retailer 1
Stanwood Marijuana processor 3
Stanwood Marijuana producer Tier 1 1
Stanwood Marijuana producer Tier 2 2
Stanwood Marijuana retailer 1
Sultan Marijuana processor 2
Sultan Marijuana producer Tier 2 3
Woodinville Marijuana processor 1
Woodinville Marijuana producer Tier 1 1
Total 96
Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

The livery on a Boeing plane. (Christopher Pike / Bloomberg)
Former Lockheed Martin CFO joins Boeing as top financial officer

Boeing’s Chief Financial Officer is being replaced by a former CFO at… Continue reading

Izaac Escalante-Alvarez unpacks a new milling machine at the new Boeing machinists union’s apprentice training center on Friday, June 6, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Boeing Machinists union training center opens in Everett

The new center aims to give workers an inside track at Boeing jobs.

Some SnoCo stores see shortages after cyberattack on grocery supplier

Some stores, such as Whole Foods and US Foods CHEF’STORE, informed customers that some items may be temporarily unavailable.

People take photos and videos as the first Frontier Arlines flight arrives at Paine Field Airport under a water cannon salute on Monday, June 2, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Water cannons salute Frontier on its first day at Paine Field

Frontier Airlines joins Alaska Airlines in offering service Snohomish County passengers.

Amit B. Singh, president of Edmonds Community College. 201008
Edmonds College and schools continue diversity programs

Educational diversity programs are alive and well in Snohomish County.

A standard jet fuel, left, burns with extensive smoke output while a 50 percent SAF drop-in jet fuel, right, puts off less smoke during a demonstration of the difference in fuel emissions on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sustainable aviation fuel center gets funding boost

A planned research and development center focused on sustainable aviation… Continue reading

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.

Water drips from an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 after it received a water salute while becoming the first scheduled 737 arrival Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, at Paine Field Airport in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Boeing and Airbus forecast strong demand for their jets

Boeing and Airbus project more than 40,000 new jets are needed.

Hundreds wait in line to order after the grand opening of Dick’s Drive-In’s new location in Everett on Thursday, June 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Dick’s Drive-In throws a party for opening day in Everett

More than 150 people showed up to celebrate the grand opening for the newest Dick’s in Snohomish County.

Patrick Russell, left, Jill Russell and their son Jackson Russell of Lake Stevens enjoy Dick’s burgers on their way home from Seattle on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. The family said the announcement of the Dick’s location in Everett “is amazing” and they will be stopping by whenever it opens in 2025. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Dick’s Drive-In announces details for Thursday’s grand opening in Everett

Dick’s will celebrate its second Snohomish County location with four days of festivities.

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.