Loophole May Allow New Pot Shop Next To Sellwood Preschool

Portland, Ore. – We’re learning more about a little loophole in Portland city code, that may allow a new marijuana dispensary to open near a private preschool in the Sellwood Neighborhood. Lots of people use SE 13th avenue, it’s one of the main streets running north and south through the Sellwood-Moreland area. A marijuana dispensary chain, Electric Lettuce, is planning to open it’s newest location there, but some neighbors aren’t happy. That’s because the proposed shop would be right next door to a kid’s toy story and within about a hundred feet of a private preschool, The Creative Minds Learning Center. State law prohibits dispensaries from opening within a 1,000 feet of schools. Reporter David Ashton with our News Partners at the Bee, A Pamplin Media Group newspaper, talked with residents who complained to officials. They say the Portland City Attorney wrote back saying basically, a commercial preschool doesn’t quality as a school under city code. Ashton says unless something changes at Portland City Council, the dispensary is still likely to open, because it does meet city code requirements. We’ve reached out to folks at the dispensary but did not get an immediate response.

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Image courtesy of David F. Ashton for THE BEE Newspaper