USA - Washington

Board members denied a petition on use of customer ID data, rescinded an interim traceability policy, and heard public comments about the promised social equity retail program.

Task force members discussed drafting their report due to the legislature on December 1st before talking about what cannabinoid limits they’d recommend for hemp in food.

Presentations on public health surveys by researchers from Canada and Oregon gave the board insight into how Washington’s system compared to other legal cannabis jurisdictions.

WSLCB members would discuss 10 years of I-502 with an industry panel and the Hemp in Food Task Force was scheduled for a final review of their report to the legislature.

Ahead of the 2023 session, committee members heard about the response to organized retail crime, including staff of the attorney general’s office and cannabis retail representatives.

A conversation with the author of the state’s legalization initiative provided history and context around the first decade of WSLCB policymaking, along with insights for the next.

Board members heard legislative updates, mentioned special guests attending upcoming caucuses, and discussed how to achieve prevention of 100% of retail sales to youth.

As the annual Washington State Prevention Summit was convened, WSLCB board members would hear from two prominent public health researchers and undertake planned rulemaking.

To acknowledge the 10-year anniversary of the passage of Initiative 502, WSLCB board members planned to host a discussion with Alison Holcomb, architect of the initiative.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at WSLCB were discussed along with the budding social equity program, related community engagement efforts, and request legislation for 2023.