Yakima County Asks Residents About Cannabis Ban to Unlock Millions in Revenue

The Yakima County Commissioners Tuesday voted in favor of placing an advisory measure on the November general election ballot.

IT'S JUST AN ADVISORY VOTE

Proposition No. 1 will ask voters in the county whether the Board of County Commissioners should continue the complete ban on cannabis production, processing, and retail sales in unincorporated Yakima County.

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MONEY LEFT ON THE TABLE

At a time when cities and counties are searching for operating dollars county officials say the ban is resulting in thousands of dollars that could go into the county coffers. Commissioner Kyle Curtis says "the County has left millions of dollars on the table that could have been utilized towards substance abuse prevention programs and public safety."

IT'S ALREADY HERE

Currently within a 40-minute commute anyone has access to cannabis products. The ban hasn’t prevented this access. "Curtis says the question the voters will address, is whether the ban on cannabis should be reversed to claim the money for taxpayers.
According to a press release from Curtis says a portion of the state's 37% cannabis excise tax is distributed to cities and counties depending on their cannabis policies.
Because of the ban Curtis says can't benefit from the share of cannabis excise tax that could bring in thousands of dollars annually to the County.

THE QUESTION ON YOUR BALLOT

Text of the Advisory Measure (Proposition 1):

Should the Board of Yakima County Commissioners continue the complete ban of cannabis (marijuana) production, processing and retail sales within unincorporated Yakima County?

Yes ____ No ____

The Advisory Measure will appear on the November 2025 general election ballot. The measure is non-binding; however, the Board will carefully evaluate the outcome as part of its policy deliberations.