Small cities reconsider the need for weed

NOVEMBER 22, 2016 | EDITORIAL BOARD

Principles are well and good but they don’t keep the lights on, and they don’t pay for recreation departments or police officers. So if you’re a small city feeling an economic pinch, it may be time to reexamine principles, specifically the ones that call for a ban on retail marijuana shops.

Bonney Lake and University Place, two cities on opposite ends of Pierce County, seem to be getting that message loud and clear.

Their original bans on retail marijuana made sense; both cites cited legitimate concerns about civic identity and the disconnect between state and federal law. But they’ve had a good look at the lucrative results of a statewide experiment, and evidence of large-scale mayhem or reefer madness is found wanting.