Pasco's cap on cannabis retail stores — set at four since the city ended its retail ban in 2023 — was scheduled to come up for a final council decision Monday night, the last local step before a fifth shop could open at the former Green 2 Go space on Road 90.
The code amendment would raise the city's retail license density limit from four to five and allow a second Pasco store licensed through Washington's Social Equity in Cannabis Program, according to Nonstop Local News, which reported the council had set a public hearing with action to follow on Sept. 21.
Tri-Cities Today could not independently confirm the outcome of Monday's vote as of Tuesday. The ordinance language, staff report and any recorded vote are posted with the City Council agendas and packets on the city's website.
How Pasco got here
The council voted 4-3 on Aug. 3 to authorize the city manager to send an affirmative consent letter to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board on behalf of Compas LLC, doing business as Compas Cannabis Company, for a store at the former Green 2 Go location on Road 90, AppleValleyNewsNow reported. The same 4-3 vote launched the separate ordinance process to lift the density cap, which city staff estimated would take roughly two months to complete because of hearing and notice requirements.
The proposed location is 5804 Road 90, Suites F and G, which housed Green 2 Go beginning in July 2023 before that retailer relocated to Road 68 earlier this year, according to Nonstop Local News and the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.
Pasco allows cannabis retail under Pasco Municipal Code 25.10.025. The Journal of Business reported that Green2Go and Pacific Outpost each operate one store in the city and Spokane-based Lucky Leaf Co. operates two, filling the current four-license allotment. Pasco collected about $41,650 in fiscal 2025 from the state's retail cannabis sales distribution tied to those licenses, Nonstop Local News reported.
According to the council agenda report summarized by Nonstop Local News, Compas projected first-year pre-tax sales of $2.4 million to $3.6 million and 10 to 15 local jobs at opening. A support letter from the property owner said nearby tenants had raised no issues and that security measures required of cannabis retailers had improved safety at the building.
A divided council
The August debate split the council along familiar lines. Councilman Joe Cotta, who opposed the consent letter, told colleagues, "I think at the heart of this, what's really bringing us here, is that they're selling something addictive that is causing mental illness," according to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.
Councilman Calixto Hernandez, who supported it, framed the question around the applicant's completed work under the state program: "Are we going to punish them after they've done all the work just because its cannabis? I don't think that's fair," the Journal of Business reported.
Councilman David Figueroa proposed setting a population-based standard of one retail license per 30,000 residents for future increases. "This isn't really about the cannabis issue," he said, per AppleValleyNewsNow. "It's about whether we want a predictable policy or an unpredictable one."
Parents, teachers and former law enforcement officers spoke against the expansion in August, citing youth access, impaired driving and normalization of cannabis, AppleValleyNewsNow reported. School officials and the Franklin County sheriff also opposed lifting the city's retail ban during the original 2023 debate.
What happens next
A local code change alone does not open a store. The state Liquor and Cannabis Board retains final authority and must approve Compas LLC's social equity application before Pasco can issue a local business license, AppleValleyNewsNow reported. The state program allows the board to issue retail licenses beyond the usual population-based local allotment in communities disproportionately affected by drug enforcement, subject to local input.
Pasco became the first Tri-Cities city to lift its retail cannabis ban in June 2023, on a 4-3 vote that opened commercial and industrial zones including areas along North Road 68, Broadmoor Boulevard, East Lewis Street and Court Street while keeping production and processing prohibited, The Spokesman-Review reported.
Residents can track upcoming meetings on the city's meeting calendar.
