By: Mike Fong and Laura Solis, Lower Valley Matters
October 16, 2026
At the October 13 Council Workshop meeting, the Granger City Council heard from representatives of Compas Cannabis LLC, who are opening a retail pot shop in Pasco. Councilmember Susie Muñoz invited Compas representatives to share their industry experience as Granger considers lifting its moratorium on cannabis businesses. “So we’ve been talking about lifting the moratorium and we were encouraged to do our own research. [Compas is] opening a new dispensary in Pasco…so I asked if they could come and speak to us about revenue and about the process…,” Muñoz said.
Zachary Fairley, the CEO of Compas, shared that he has over a decade of experience in the cannabis industry in California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. His business partner in Pasco, Moises Serna, secured a social equity license from the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB), only available to individuals from communities where the historical enforcement of drug laws has resulted in disproportionately unjust, inequitable, and negative outcomes.
Projected Sales Tax Revenues. Fairley noted that while the overall cannabis retail market in Washington State has softened between 2023 to 2025, in Yakima County, cannabis sales are rapidly growing: sales have increased by 45.7% to almost $45 million over the same period. But Fairley cautioned that the state’s cannabis market analysis also raises concerns about potential oversupply and competition from illegal sales. The risk of an oversaturated market could impact revenues and profits of any future retail shops in the city if Granger lifts its moratorium on pot shops.
Fairley estimated that in Granger, a store located somewhere near I-82 in town could generate annual retail sales between $1.2 to $2.4 million, about 95 to 190 sales a day. That would result in $10,200 to $20,400 in sales tax revenue for the city to support government services.
Fairley also discussed significant public safety issues cannabis shops have faced in Western Washington, where 75 strong-armed robberies of pot shops have occurred within the last 4-5 years. A big risk factor is that cannabis retailers are largely cash-only operations. He stressed the importance of having good local on-site management of any store and that absentee owners from somewhere else in the state could lead to problems. In highlighting the importance of ongoing accountability and responsible oversight, Fairley stated, “[Y]ou can’t get the toothpaste to go into the tube after the fact.”
There was no discussion about how or whether communities have addressed any public safety issues and the Council did not ask questions after the presentation. Mayor Hilda González proposed that the Council consider lifting the prohibition on cannabis retail stores as a way to generate revenues given the city’s budget challenges. The presentation raises questions as to whether $10,000-$20,000 in potential annual sales tax revenue would outweigh the incremental costs (if any) to mitigate any potential public safety risks that Fairley identified. In August, the Pasco City Council narrowly approved Compas to move forward with opening a pot shop on a 4-3 vote.
To watch the Granger Council workshop on this topic, visit: https://reflect-midvalley.cablecast.tv/internetchannel/show/1088?site=4
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