Ah, Cannabis City, Seattle's first pot shop. Or, as they've dubbed themselves, "the pot shop heard around the world." Their first day saw a frenzy of news crews, huge crowds, incredulous baby boomers buying their first-ever legal bag, and even Seattle city attorney Pete Holmes. Holmes grabbed two bags, one to enjoy at some appropriate juncture (he still won't comment on the fate of that bag) and one for "posterity."

The posterity bag, he told me recently, was slated to go in a time capsule, but because children were going to be participating in filling the time capsule, that idea was scrapped. Presumably it's still in his sock drawer.

Anyway, Cannabis City is still doing the thing they did on day one of Washington's legal cannabis experiment: selling weed. And they're still doing a good job of it. Dr. James Lathrop, the shop's owner, is whip-crack smart when it comes to cannabis. He's a doctor of nursing practice, and I'd argue that he's more knowledgeable about pot and its various medicinal applications than a traditional allopathic practitioner. 

Also exciting: Lathrop says he's near completion on a pretty groovy remodel. [Update: the remodel—and rebranding as the Cannabis City Cultural Center—was completed in May 2021.] The building's front will be covered with dichroic film, which reflects light in a manner similar to oil. Multicolored LEDs will be mounted on the edge of the roof, green awnings will be installed, and the whole building will basically turn into the type of trippy screen saver display that stoners have been zoning out on for decades. As for the interior, it's also getting a makeover, and there is, of course, plenty of good pot in there. It's "Seattle's best value," claims Lathrop, in terms of quality for price. He also notes that they have more than 100 varieties of pre-roll and are a mere one block from the Sodo light rail station. TOBIAS COUGHLIN-BOGUE