WSLCB - Board Meeting
(September 5, 2018)

Here are some observations from the Wednesday September 5th Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) Board Meeting.

My top 3 takeaways:

• Dan Purkey, General Manager of Artizen Cannabis, repeated a request from four months before that LCB “develop and issue a consumer alert to be posted prominently in all retail stores that warns consumers that THC percentages on the package labels don’t mean anything” (transcript, audio).
  • Purkey characterized the situation as a public health issue that should be addressed by the LCB given that the protection of public health is part of their mission statement.
  • Purkey: “Cannabis THC percentages can vary widely on any given plant.”
  • Purkey noted that potency accuracy guides alcohol titration, and that precise labelling without reliable accuracy may give consumers false confidence in actual dose titration and lead to public health and safety problems.
  • Board Member Russ Hauge asked Purkey to compile research evidence, which would make the request more likely to support policy change.
• Jim MacRae supported Purkey’s comments and commended the LCB for their work with the medical patient group, moving towards lab accreditation, and the ongoing industry diversity study (transcript, audio).
  • MacRae noted that lab accreditation is a necessary but not sufficient step, given how market forces influence test results.
• Don Skakie urged the LCB to pull products on the shelves that were treated with pesticides that have now been removed from the safe list, as a public health emergency (transcript, audio).
  • Skakie also commended the LCB for working with the medical patient group.