Hermiston cannabis referendum is in jeopardy
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, June 18th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HERMISTON – The citizen-driven move to allow retail marijuana stores to operate in Hermiston appears to be in trouble. As of Monday, it was well below the number of valid signatures to appear on the November ballot.
Umatilla County Elections Manager Kim Lindell reported that 1,190 petition signatures had been processed and only 458 of them were from valid active registered voters living in the city.
In order to qualify for the ballot, the petition drive needs signatures from 1,116 qualified voters.
“We have approximately 1,180 signatures left to process so the probability of them succeeding is not there,” Lindell stated.
Hermiston Elections Official Lilly Alarcon-Strong said that if the organizers wish to try again in a future election they will have to start the petition process anew.
The proposed measure would repeal the prohibition on marijuana retail facilities within the Hermiston city limits which was adopted by voters in 2016. The measure includes requirements for the locations of such businesses and would allow the city of Hermiston to collect a 3 percent tax from those businesses. The chief petitioner is Jeremy Archie and the authorized agent is Logan Leichtman.
The limitations are explained in the petition which can be accessed at https://www.hermiston.gov/citycouncil/page/elections.
