Mapping the Legal Pot Era in Spokane

Here's one for you: it's legal to possess marijuana in Washington these days, but it's still illegal to buy or sell it. That little paradox will likely remain in place until at least early December. Initiative 502 — which legalized recreational pot last November for anyone over 21 — gave the state's liquor control board about a year to sort out the regulatory details for the new industry.

In the meantime, Washington municipalities are inching closer to the legal pot era as best they can. Last week, Spokane's city council (unanimously) approved a new ordinance that puts local codes in line with the new state law, and its planners released a map of potential retail areas. Residents came out in droves to a public forum hosted by state officials; the event had to relocate to the city's convention center to accommodate a crowd of nearly 500 people.