DrugSense

Seattle Times, 31 May 2013 – Ex-Mexican President Praises Shively’s Pot Effort Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, praised local entrepreneur Jamen Shively’s vision for a legal pot business reaching across the U.S. and perhaps beyond its borders.

Washington Times, 31 May 2013 – SEATTLE – Two Washington state businessmen who say they’re trying to create the first national brand of marijuana are getting some heartfelt support from the former president of Mexico, Vicente Fox. Mr. Fox appeared at a news conference Thursday in Seattle, where he recounted how the war on drugs has ravaged his country and praised the states of Washington and Colorado for voting to legalize the recreational use of marijuana last fall.

DrugSense

Seattle Times, 30 May 2013 – The lack of size limits on marijuana growing operations in the state have some fearing that "Big Bud" will squelch small growers. But others see plenty of opportunity for everyone, pointing to the beer business. In initial rules for a legal marijuana system, state officials did not cap the number of growing licenses they would issue later this year, trying to give small growers a chance to get a toehold in the emerging industry.

The Stranger, 29 May 2013 – Liquor Board May Ban Out-of-State Investors Most cannabis-related investment advice I’ve seen seems to distill down to this: Avoid companies that actually sell pot and instead invest in "ancillary" businesses-such as the hash-oil-machine maker, pot-selling software, and web-based weed advertising services. The typical reasoning for this reservation is the big federal question mark, the uncertainty about whether the Feds might start forfeiture proceedings against legal pot investments.

Seattle Times, 23 May 2013 – Large Indoor Farms Limited to Certain Industrial Areas Rules Would Allow Operations As Big As a Football Field Indoor pot-growing operations as large as a football field would be allowed in some Seattle industrial areas under new zoning approved Wednesday by a City Council committee.

DrugSense

The Stranger, 22 May 2013 – Draft Pot Rules Would Encourage Black Market for Cannabis Concentrates Last week, the Washington State Liquor Control Board released draft regulations for the legal cannabis market enacted by voters. The 46-page document specifies the qualification process for potential pot entrepreneurs-including fingerprints that will be sent to the FBI-requirements for growing and selling marijuana, and many rules about license objections, violations, and suspensions. Potential licensees will have a one-month window to apply, and if more retailers apply than the liquor board intends to license, they will conduct a pot-store lottery.

Spokesman-Review, 18 May 2013 – The Washington Liquor Control Board left no would-be stoner unturned, developing comprehensive rules for marijuana sellers and growers. The 47-page draft released Thursday encompasses every step in the newly legalized retail sale of marijuana from seed to seller and, really, beyond, because even the waste has to be accounted for.