If prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau intends to make good on his promise to legalize marijuana in Canada, he might want to start by looking to Washington State, where recreational marijuana stores have been operating for over a year.

King County sheriff John Urquhart says the biggest lesson learned in Washington State is that once pot becomes legal, cities should not have the power to use zoning bylaws to completely ban weed shops. 

"There are several cities in the state and in King County that have outlawed marijuana stores, and that's a big problem as far as I'm concerned," Urquhart told CBC.

"One of the premises of legalized marijuana is to get the grey market and criminals out of it," he continued. 

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SEATTLE – Seattle city officials say 56 of 120 medical marijuana dispensaries have voluntarily closed since mid-September.

The city's Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) department handles the enforcement.

"We're trying to get you to be in compliance and if you can't get on the legal path, you just need to close," said William Edwards, who is the department's Director of Enforcement.

The FAS said it sent letter to all non-Initiative-502 marijuana businesses in August, informing them of the city's new ordinance.

Some of the city's criteria includes paying all applicable taxes, possessing a Seattle business license before 2013, and applying to the state cannabis board for a license.

In 1998, Washington state passed I-692, allowing citizens with debilitating conditions to grow medicinal cannabis at home. The actual regulation of medical cannabis was largely left to the local governments until 2010 when the state attempted to regulate MMJ statewide. However, due to a last minute waiver by then-governor Kristine Gregoire, the attempt largely failed. Despite the falter, a set of loose regulations did emerge governing collective gardens and setting designated providers.

Justin Trudeau’s win in Monday’s federal election could lead to the eventual legalization of marijuana in Canada.

Washington state legalized recreational cannabis use for adults in 2012, and some state officials say delivering on Trudeau’s promise could prove to have its challenges.

“It’s a work in progress,” said Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste, who was in Victoria Tuesday for the annual Pacific Region Cross-Border Law Enforcement Forum.

Batiste admits that since legalizing the drug, Washington state has seen an increase in people driving under the influence of marijuana.

PASCO, WA- With an increase in crime related to outdoor medical marijuana plants we talked with the Washington Board of Health about rules and regulations for growers. 

According to the Washington Board of Health Policy Council, Kristi Weeks, she told us, "no see, no smell, no more than 15 plants in a single housing unit, regardless of how many patients or designated providers or caregivers live in a single housing unit, no more than 15 plants can be grown in that housing unit". 

Brian Smith, with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board told us regulations are stricter with recreational growing, "you can't be viewed from the public, they have to have an eight foot fence, security and alarms including video cameras, all that stuff". 

Brennan Linsley/AP

In a national health survey, 10% of high schoolers reported smoking marijuana at least once in the last 30 days.

High schoolers now report using marijuana more than cigarettes or cigars, according to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Oct. 15. 

In 1997, 21% of high schoolers said they had smoked a cigarette or cigar on one or more days in the last 30 days. By 2013 (the newest data available), only 7% said they had, representing a remarkable 64% decrease. 

Washington State troopers are ramping up efforts to enforce a new portion of the state's marijuana law, which makes it illegal to have an open container of pot in your car.

The law went into affect on Sept. 26 and is similar to the state's alcohol open container law.

The law states that marijuana must be in its original sealed package and stored in the trunk of your car or behind the backseat. It also extends to pot-infused edibles.

Driving with an open container of pot is a traffic infraction that carries an $136 dollar fine.

Troopers say that they are seeing an increasing number of drivers with marijuana.

Starting Monday, Oct. 12, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis  Board will begin accepting and processing applications for retail marijuana licenses using the priority criteria set forth in the Cannabis Patient Protection Act. Below is a step by step guide to help applicants better understand how the process works. Please visit the WSLCB Marijuana section of the website for more information. Thank you.

Retail License Application Process

Owners of 245 dispensaries around the state reported combined first week retails sales were around $11 million. That's a ton of green for Oregon's legalized weed. 

First week sales more than double what Colorado's first week sales were.

Oregon is the fourth state to allow recreational marijuana sales to adults over 21 years old. Tax revenue doesn't even kick in for the state until some time in January, but it has state officials thinking their estimates were way too low.