Cannabis City - Seattle's First Pot Shop
Established July 7th, 2014
A historic day in Seattle
Just after 1pm on July 07, 2014, Deb Green, a 65-year-old marathon running grandmother from Ballard brought her camp chair, a hat, and a book as she planted herself down to become the first person in line to legally purchase marijuana in Seattle since 1937. Doors opened at 'high noon' the next day (July 08, 2014) because of a mandated 24-hour quarantine period for all marijuana deliveries (supplied by Nine Point Growth Industries). Due to the initially heavy taxation, prices were $20 per gram, and limited legal product availability led to restricting patrons to purchasing only a single gram at a time. Despite those issues, however, thousands of people attended this Seattle historic event, and in just over two days Cannabis City sold 11 pounds of dried marijuana in single-gram packages.
Looking closely at the photograph above, you can see novelty police tape across the door as Dr. James Russ Lathrop, (Doctor of Nursing Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner) welcomes the world's media with the announcement, "On this day, July 8, 2014, I declare this war over!! (cheers from the crowd)... And I think, I think, it's time to free the weed!" Together, Dr. Lathrop and Allison Holcomb, a lawyer for the ACLU and the lead architect of the people's initiative, used giant scissors to cut across
the police tape. The original marijuana purchase by Deb Green, the giant scissors, some of the police tape, the lottery award letter to Cannabis City, and other artifacts from that historic day are in the possession of the MOHAI museum of Seattle.
August, 2016
Erected 2016.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine. A significant historical date for this entry is July 7, 2014.
Location. 47° 34.727′ N, 122° 19.756′ W. Marker is in Seattle, Washington, in King County. It is in SODO. Marker is on 4th Ave S south of South Lander Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2733 4th Ave S, Seattle WA 98134, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Triangle Hotel and Bar (approx. 1.3 miles away); Vision (approx. 1.4 miles away); Seattle Chinatown Gate (approx. 1.4 miles away); The Goldsmith Building (approx. 1.4 miles away); How Did Water Become Land? (approx. 1.4 miles away); King Street Station (approx. 1.4 miles away); Chinese American Soldiers Memorial (approx. 1.4 miles away); Union Station (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seattle.
Also see . . . Lighting up: First weed shop opens in Washington state (YouTube, CBS This Morning, 7/8/14, 2.5 min.). Almost two years after Washington voters approved a referendum to allow recreational marijuana, the state is rolling out the new law Tuesday. Adriana Diaz reports on the opening from Seattle. (Submitted on April 19, 2018.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 435 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 19, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.