LYNNWOOD—The Cannabis lobby will front-and-center pushing for retail cannabis at Monday’s Lynnwood City Council Work Session on July 7, 2025, at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The Council will also hear from staff about implementing an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging fee for city-provided EV stations.

Lynnwood’s Electric Vehicle and Charging Infrastructure Program and Ordinance for Public Electric Vehicle Charging Fees

The Public Works Department has installed three EV charging stations (six charging heads) at the main City Hall parking lot, funded by a 2025 grant. To ensure the maintenance, operation, and future replacement of these stations, staff propose a charging fee of $0.39 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

This fee, informed by electricity costs, maintenance expenses, and regional benchmarks, complies with Washington State law (RCW 19.94.560) and is set below Lynnwood’s market rate to encourage clean EV use.

Joint Session: Retail Cannabis Lobby and Councilmembers Roundtable

The council will hear from stakeholders advocating for retail cannabis in Lynnwood, including Caitlein Ryan, PhD (Executive Director, Cannabis Alliance), certification holders Henok Abraha, Derek Anderson, Gene Kulinovsky, and Shy Sadis, and Josh Estes (Managing Partner, Pacific Northwest Regional Strategies, LLC).

The discussion will address public health concerns raised by Representative Lauren Davis (D-Shoreline). The pro-cannabis delegation will argue cannabis’ benefits for medical patients managing chronic pain, anxiety, and other conditions. In her upcoming presentation, Caitlein Ryan, Executive Director, Cannabis Alliance, with argue that overstating risks without context may stigmatize responsible users and drive consumption to unregulated markets lacking safety controls. Key points of her presentation include:

• Potency and Effects: Cannabis potency is not solely about THC concentration but involves the “entourage effect,” where cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids interact to produce varied outcomes.
• Public Health: A 2022 study showed cannabis users reduced opiate use by 30%, with some discontinuing opiates entirely. Lethal THC doses are extremely high (e.g., 53 grams of pure THC for a 175-pound adult), far exceeding legal possession limits.
• Youth Access: Washington State’s Liquor and Cannabis Board reports a 94.4% compliance rate for cannabis retailers in youth access checks, compared to 75% for alcohol and tobacco.
• Mental Health: While heavy or early cannabis use may precipitate psychotic symptoms in genetically vulnerable individuals, it is not a primary cause of psychosis for most users.