Construction begins on possible first marijuana retailer for Aberdeen

A medical marijuana store on Aberdeen’s east side is set to open in June and would be the first in the city if the state grants the license.

As of Friday, the potential future site of Cannabis 21 at 1000 E. Wishkah St. was completely leveled and construction crews had built forms for a foundation. The business is owned by Arnie and Angela Bossard, a married couple from Elma.

Angela Bossard said she owned a retail store for 16 years before recently selling it and that her husband currently owns a retail business. She declined to give additional information on either of those businesses.

The store’s license, according to state Liquor Control Board documents, is still pending, but Angela Bossard said she was optimistic that it would be granted. The couple hopes to open the store sometime in June, Arnie Bossard said.

“This is a clean, professional and responsible environment for people who wish to purchase such products,” he said.

After posting an ad on Leafly, a website that allows users to rate and review marijuana outlets, Angela Bossard said she received phone calls from people across the country asking if the store had opened yet.

Though already vacant lots and storefronts are available throughout the city, Arnie Bossard said the new property was the most logical way to meet state requirements to establish a retail marijuana store. No marijuana stores can be built within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds, recreational centers, child care centers, public parks, public transit centers, libraries or game arcades open to minors, according to the state Liquor Control Board’s website.

The city’s own zoning code allows state-licensed marijuana retailers to operate within the city’s general-commercial and downtown-commercial districts, said City Attorney Eric Nelson. The proposed Cannabis 21 location falls in the general commercial district.

Nelson added that the only type of marijuana establishments that the city’s code prevents include marijuana collective gardens — gardens that would allow up to 10 medical marijuana users to collectively grow marijuana.

Though Angela Bossard admitted her store could be controversial as marijuana legalization remains a polarizing issue, she said she hoped the store could be a welcome addition with the potential to be an economic driver.

“A couple of the reasons for this venture are to create jobs and for people to purchase their cannabis products in a safe environment,” Angela Bossard said. “Our goals and ambitions are to create a positive environment for people of legal age to purchase cannabis products under state guidelines of our business.”