A dispensary in Lacey, Washington is accused of providing free samples to undercover officers and operating an unlicensed space in the building to consume them, The Olympian reports.
Dank’s Wonder Emporium, the dispensary in question, claims that the social media posts identified by undercover officers as “advertisements” were in fact personal social media posts and that the business did not directly offer free samples. Random Vaughn, owner of Dank’s Wonder Emporium, said that officers in fact “raided” his media production company and had no contact with the licensed cannabis business he also operates.
Washington tracks cannabis products from seed to sale. The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) claims that Dank’s Wonder Emporium was diverting tracked product to be used for free samples. While it appears officers did not receive any cannabis from the dispensary, they were given access to the media production space above the dispensary, where they were then given cannabis.
It is not immediately clear where that cannabis came from and if it was freely given or if the space and the cannabis provided to officers were part of a larger sales strategy.
A spokesperson for the LCB said felony charges for operating a marijuana club had been referred to the Thurston County prosecutor’s office, which is deciding whether it has grounds to prosecute.
Vaughn said he plans to appeal the violations that could result in the revocation of his license. Dank’s remains open while the case moves forward.