Lynnwood council eliminates ban on cannabis sales

Cannabis sales are now legal in Lynnwood after the city council voted 5-2 on Monday to end the city’s decade-long ban, clearing the way for future dispensaries to open within city limits.

Vote

• Yes: Councilmembers Josh Binda, George Hurst, Derica Escamilla, Nick Coelho, Robert Leutwyler
• No: Councilmembers Patrick Decker and David Parshall 

While more than a dozen dispensaries operate just outside Lynnwood’s borders, none are inside the city. The ordinance amends Title 8 of city code to allow cannabis businesses in the commercial, Alderwood, City Center and Highway 99 zones. 

The ordinance requires stores to be at least 100 feet from sites restricted by the LCB, aside from schools and existing playgrounds which require a 1,000-foot buffer. Restricted sites include libraries, recreation and child care centers, parks, transit centers and arcades open to people under 21.

The council approved four amendments to the original ordinance:

•  An amendment reducing the buffer from 300 feet to 100 feet from restricted entities –except for primary and secondary schools and existing parks;
• An amendment requiring cannabis retailers in Lynnwood to be certified as a medical marijuana provider by the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board;
• An amendment removing planned parks from the list of entities requiring a 1,000 foot buffer;
• An amendment to allocate no more than four Lynnwood cannabis licenses.

Recreational cannabis has been legal in Washington since 2012, but Lynnwood prohibited sales starting in 2013 through moratoriums and a 2015 ban, citing concerns over crime, enforcement costs and community safety.

Councilmember George Hurst led the latest push to repeal the ban after an earlier failed attempt in 2021. Councilmember Nick Coelho also proposed a repeal in 2024, but the effort was rejected.

Read more about cannabis in Lynnwood here.

— Contact Ashley at ashley@myedmondsnews.com.