Tacoma police Thursday arrested the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary on suspicion of drug-related charges.
Investigators booked the man, 38, into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance.
The News Tribune is not naming him because he has not been charged with a crime.
The man was arrested at his Tacoma home as part of an investigation into activity at the Tacoma Hemp Co., a medical marijuana outlet near South Fourth Street and Tacoma Avenue, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.
Tacoma Hemp is one of a growing number of “collectives” in the city that use a liberal interpretation of the state’s medical marijuana law to connect growers and marijuana patients.
The investigation by police narcotics officers was launched after several complaints were made and concerns raised about activity at Tacoma Hemp and in the surrounding area, Fulghum said.
Police declined to release more information about the investigation or the allegations that led to the man’s arrest. He has been previously described in Tacoma publications as an organizer of the first Tacoma Hempfest, which took place last month in Wright Park.
Information posted on www.greenpeople.org says this about Tacoma Hemp:
“Opened in November 2009 in our downtown location, we offer a wide range of organically grown hemp/cannabis products. From dry goods, edibles, genetics and textiles, we’ve got most things hemp covered for you.”
Stacey Mulick:253-597-8277 stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
Staff writer Rob Carson contributed to this report.
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