Washington City’s First Recreational Dispensary will Close

The very first recreational cannabis dispensary to open in Washington State lost its license because of a $1.4 million delinquent tax bill.

According to KIRO 7, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board cancelled the license of Rainier on Pine, also known as Xander’s Green Goods, a dispensary in Tacoma, Washington. The dispensary was apparently given plenty of notices of their violation, and now its license has been revoked and its cannabis has been seized.

“They’ve had several opportunities to become current on their taxes,” Mikhail Carpenter, board spokesperson, told KIRO 7. “In this particular case, even after several attempts to do so, they were still delinquent in tax payments by a pretty substantial amount.”

Alexander Rodriguez, the owner of the dispensary, was delinquent $768,000 back in 2016, and the total has now grown to $1.4 million. This is the largest bill Carpenter claims he can recall, although he also admits it may not be the largest in the state.

Rainier on Pine is apparently seeking a stay of the board’s order so that its product will not be destroyed. The board allegedly sought summary judgment against the dispensary and attempted to deny its license renewal back in October. The location was denied license renewal in January.

“To hold a marijuana license or a liquor license in the state of Washington, you have to follow and obey the rules as set forth, and one of those rules says you must pay taxes,” Carpenter added.

Although Washington State has overall been seeing positive growth, with legal changes that have expanded cannabis business and a strong backbone against Attorney General Jeff Sessions, it is clearly not enough to keep some dispensaries out of jeopardy. However, as is the case in many legal states, no protections can be afforded to those who are not in accordance with the law.