With eyes on Vashon, let’s debate pot the right way | Editorial

The potential marijuana edibles factory at the K2 building has divided our community like nothing we can remember. For every islander that has reasonable worries about locating one of the state’s largest marijuana businesses in the heart of Vashon, there’s another person with a reasonable stance on why the legal and highly regulated business makes sense here

The potential marijuana edibles factory at the K2 building has divided our community like nothing we can remember. For every islander that has reasonable worries about locating one of the state’s largest marijuana businesses in the heart of Vashon, there’s another person with a reasonable stance on why the legal and highly regulated business makes sense here. And those two people are often friends. It doesn’t help that the issue is clouded by other concerns not even related to marijuana. Some are shining a light on environmental testing done at the K2 site, and at least one islander is pointing out that the business would likely use a huge amount of energy. Those who both support this legal marijuana business and are environmentally conscious likely find themselves confused.

The pending purchase of the K2 building has spurred some thoughtful debate, but it has also brought out some of the worst in Vashon discourse. We’ve heard name calling, accusations, conjecture and no shortage of the term NIMBY. That’s not even to mention the words that have flown over social media. Colorado’s governor, John Hickenlooper, recently called marijuana legalization “one of the great social experiments of the 21st century.” If Washington is a starting place for this great marijuana experiment, it feels as though Vashon is ground zero, and legal pot sales haven’t even started yet.

As we wrestle as a community with the new reality of pot business in our midst — something that is sure to be with Vashon for some time — we hope islanders can keep a few things in mind. First, let’s debate with accurate information. Uninformed arguments or those driven by emotion rather than fact won’t help. Second, as Gov. Hinkenlooper pointed out, none of us knows exactly how legalization is going to play out or what unintended consequences there may be. It’s simply new territory, and Hinkenlooper recommended caution. Let’s use that same caution before disregarding our neighbors — they could be right in the end. Finally, we believe those on both sides of this issue have the community’s interests in mind. There aren’t any villains here, just people with different perspectives and different priorities.

It’s right for us to wrestle as a community with this issue of pot at K2 and with the other outcomes of marijuana legalization. It’s good for us to seek answers to our questions and even to make requests of our elected officials. But when we talk, let’s not forget to listen as well. When it’s all said and done, we’ll still be neighbors, friends and people who in many ways depend on one another as we inhabit this island in the sound. Vashon will continue to thrive, whether or not it becomes home to a large exporter of marijuana candy.

As many have pointed out, the country’s eyes are on Washington as it moves into this new era. And we believe an increasing number of eyes are now on Vashon. We hope we can navigate this new territory in a way that makes us proud to be islanders, rather than letting a vacant building on the highway become a beacon of something that tore our community apart.