The Week Ahead
(May 12, 2025)

The Week Ahead (May 12, 2025) - JLARC - Cannabis Market Study

The Governor planned to sign legislation proscribing cannabis retail financial interests and JLARC would hear a report documenting oversupply of cannabis markets in Washington.

Here’s a look at cannabis-related policymaking events on the calendar in the week ahead.

Monday May 12th

WA Governor - Bill Action

On Monday at 9:30am PT, the Washington State Office of the Governor (WA Governor) planned to host a bill action ceremony.

Tuesday May 13th

WSLCB - Board Caucus

The weekly Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) Board Caucus was cancelled.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • In keeping with “Board Efficiencies” implemented in March, the weekly caucus cadence was changed to every other week and 25 public meetings planned for the calendar year were cancelled.
  • At the WSLCB Board Meeting on Wednesday May 7th, Chair Jim Vollendroff announced that members had received their first general public comment in writing after having eliminated the opportunity to address the board verbally, the only community engagement countenanced across three board meetings.  Vollendroff indicated the comment would be subsequently published with the approved meeting minutes - a minimum of one month later.

WSDA PAB - Board Meeting

On Tuesday at 10am PT, the quarterly Washington State Department of Agriculture Pesticide Advisory Board (WSDA PAB) Board Meeting was scheduled to recur.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • The WSDA PAB was initially established by the Washington State Legislature in 1994 and then was struck from the statute along with other state-funded boards and committees in 2010. The WSDA PAB was re-established during the 2023 legislative session (HB 1019 codified in RCW 17.21.455 and RCW 17.21.460) to advise the WSDA Pesticide Management Division (WSDA PMD) on the Division's plans, actions, and ongoing or emerging significant issues related to pesticides in Washington state.
  • According to the announcement, there were no directly cannabis-related items on the agenda while the subject matter remained relevant for the agricultural sector.

Wednesday May 14th

JLARC - Committee Meeting

On Wednesday at 10am PT, the Washington State Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • In 2023, legislators passed SB 5080, legislation which made substantial changes to the social equity program including the creation of 10 producer licenses and 100 processor licenses designated for qualifying applicants.  Questions were raised about the value of creating additional wholesale licenses, leading to amendment of the legislation to require a study of the relative health of the cannabis markets in Washington state.
    • The 2024 legislative session operating budget, SB 5950, included section 103(4) allotting $626,000 to JLARC for an audit to determine “whether current levels of cannabis production align with market demand and capacity, including the impact of any additional cannabis producer licenses granted under the legislation.”
    • The report was made due by June 30th, 2025.
  • On Wednesday May 7th, JLARC staff published a website with materials related to the complete preliminary report including a one-page overview and short video.
  • JLARC contracted with RAND Corporation to perform a quantitative analysis of market supply and demand conditions, with instructions to lean heavily on data collected by the WSLCB through various “seed-to-sale” traceability platforms and reporting services utilized over the years.
    • The vendor found WSLCB data to be unreliable, leading to a statement in the report that “LCB has not had a usable traceability system since 2017” when the agency concluded its contract with BioTrack.
    • Using other data sources and models, the RAND analysts remained comfortable making strong assertions about conditions of oversupply in Washington state:“RAND estimated that production was two to three times higher than cannabis sales from licensed retailers in 2023. Estimated consumption is higher than legal sales. This suggests that consumers get roughly 60-70% of their cannabis from licensed retailers in Washington.”
    • Of two recommendations by JLARC staff springing from the report, the first stated: “LCB should submit a plan to the appropriate committees of the Legislature by December 31, 2025, that details the resources and funding needed to collect accurate data from licensees by December 31, 2026.”
    • The other recommendation followed on the findings that Washington state had oversubscribed cannabis production: “The Legislature should consider other ways to increase social equity in the cannabis industry beyond new producer licenses.”
  • On Wednesday, JLARC staff planned to present the preliminary report to committee members.  According to the agenda, the presentation was the first of several scheduled for the meeting.  Members would be granted an opportunity to ask questions; no opportunity for public comment would be facilitated during the event.

WSLCB - Executive Management Team

On Wednesday at 1:30pm PT, the three-member Board and agency leadership were scheduled to convene their monthly WSLCB Executive Management Team (EMT) meeting.

Thursday May 15th

At publication time, no cannabis-related policymaking events were planned.

Friday May 16th

At publication time, no cannabis-related policymaking events were planned.