The Week Ahead
(June 2, 2025)

The Week Ahead (June 2, 2025) - WACA Wine and Weed Pairing - This is Fine

While WACA conferees fêted, the WSLCB Board would undertake significant rulemaking and policy shifts; and public health and prevention interests would reconsider strategy.

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

Monday June 2nd

WACA Spring Conference

Monday through Wednesday, the Washington CannaBusiness Association (WACA) planned to host their annual spring conference in Walla Walla.

  • [ Conference Details ]
  • While the WACA is a trade association, Cannabis Observer works in coordination with private entities that host events featuring public officials acting in their official capacities to document cannabis policymaking information of relevance.
    • Cannabis Observer attended the WACA Spring Summit in 2022, but will not be present in 2025.
    • At publication time, Cannabis Observer was supported by several WACA members, but had never been supported by WACA itself - a unique distinction among major cannabis trade associations in Washington state.
  • The agenda for the multi-day retreat was shorter than previous events, limited to two half days of sessions and panels surrounded by networking and fundraising opportunities.  Still, the list of public officials expected to attend was lengthy.
  • Despite the show of influence, the relative power of WACA had shifted.
    • Membership in the trade association had steeply declined following a board of trustees leadership purge and member exodus in December 2024, one month before the start of the 2025 legislative session.  Those ousted formed the Washington Cannabis Licensee Association (WCLA) which fielded a formidable presence during the session on behalf of small- and medium-sized cannabis business owners.
    • As well, leading WACA sponsors—some of the largest cannabis businesses in the state—faced headwinds which could portend further unraveling.
      • On May 23rd, 4Front Ventures announced “that all its United States subsidiaries filed for a voluntary receivership in aid of liquidation under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on May 22, 2025.”  At publication time, Northwest Cannabis Solutions (NWCS) was the 4Front subsidiary in Washington state and NWCS Vice President of Compliance and Packaging Becca Burghardi was the WACA Board of Trustees President.
      • Some of the largest retailers in the state, including WACA members Kush 21 and Zips Cannabis, could be impacted by the retroactive provisions of SB 5403 further locking down management agreements.
  • An unusual innovation at the event that had raised some eyebrows was the “Wine and Weed Pairing Happy Hour” scheduled for Monday night at the Marcus Whitman Hotel where the event was staged.
    • While details were scant on the structure of the occasion, presumably the event organizers had no intention of running afoul of RCW 66.28.380 (“Products combining alcohol and cannabis prohibited“) as WSLCB Enforcement and Education staff may be on site, in this case by invitation.
    • In any event, the promotion of polysubstance use was a bad look for the cannabis industry as a whole - which WACA may still claim to represent, but decreasingly does not.

Tuesday June 3rd

WSLCB - Board Caucus

On Tuesday at 10am PT, the weekly Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) Board Caucus was scheduled to recur.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • According to the initial agenda, in addition to preparations for a busy board meeting the next day, members were scheduled to hear a brief update on the "Social Equity Registration Window."
    • On Tuesday May 27th, WSLCB staff published a reminder announcement that "Cannabis Social Equity Program Registration Window Opens Next Monday: June 2 to July 1."
  • Members were also scheduled to hear a longer update on the first WSLCB Research Roundtable.
    • When Cannabis Observer learned about the formation of a roundtable by the Research Program last year, we advocated for the events to be made open to the public but were rebuffed.  We were told staff would ask if the participants wouldn't mind being recorded at the start of the meeting - so a single dissent would result in it not being recorded.  The first event was hosted in early May.
  • On Thursday, staff published an updated caucus agenda which included 5m regarding a “Conditional Delegation of Authority” attributed to Chair Jim Vollendroff.
    • Cannabis Observer reached out to Vollendroff for comment on the unusual agenda item.  He replied, “The rules team in the spirit of efficiencies and workflow has proposed a conditional delegation of authority by the board allowing the rules team to open CR-101s under two specific circumstances without a formal board vote.
    • “They are asking for conditional delegation of authority under specific circumstances.   For example, once the board has voted on, and approved, a petition for rulemaking, the intent for rulemaking has already been established by the board. Bringing a CR-101 to the board after they have accepted a rule petition is a redundancy that takes additional time and effort on the part of the rule coordinators, the board, and board staff. Another example is legislative implementation. Once the legislature passes a bill, and it is signed by the Governor into law, mandatory rulemaking is a given. Bringing legislative implementation CR-101s to the board is unnecessary as the decision for rulemaking has already been determined. In both examples there is no language to vote on, just approving the opening of formal rulemaking. All information currently published on the LCB Website on CR-101s could continue as usual.
    • “Any other proposed CR-101 to open rules not already predetermined by previous board or legislative action would continue to be presented to the board at a board meeting for a formal vote and approval.”

Wednesday June 4th

WSLCB - Board Meeting

On Wednesday at 10am PT, the bi-weekly WSLCB Board Meeting was scheduled to recur.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Identification Reform [ Rulemaking Project ]
    • Staff planned to introduce a CR-102 containing proposed rules which included modifications to the cannabis WAC in contrast to the draft rules which solely targeted alcohol retailers.  The proposed rules would slightly expand the forms of allowable identification, walking back the draft allowance for any government-issued ID.
  • Batch Tracking [ Rulemaking Project ]
    • In accordance with earlier signals, the Policy and Rules team planned to open rulemaking on the oldest petition received by the board in August 2023 concerning batch tracking.
    • However, it’s Cannabis Observer’s understanding that the rulemaking effort would be deprioritized behind all legislative implementations - which presumably would be filed independently by the Policy and Rules team following the delegation of authority.
    • It’s also Cannabis Observer’s understanding that the Policy and Rules team planned to file CR-101s for the other four rulemaking petitions accepted by the Board, but also deprioritize their implementation.
  • Buffer Zone Measurement [ Rulemaking Project ]
    • Unexpectedly, the Board appeared poised to open rulemaking of their own volition to potentially revise the measurement process for determination of distances between licensed businesses and protected zones such as schools and playgrounds.  The memorandum detailed methods in use in other states, some of which were considered during the 2025 legislative session as part of SB 5758 (Social Equity Buffer Zones), legislation by Saldaña which was advanced quite far and would be reintroduced in 2026.
  • Absent from the agenda were any new rulemaking projects for implementation of 2025 legislation, efforts that presumably would be started independently by the Policy and Rules team following the delegation of authority.  Staff had previously indicated multiple bills would require regulatory modifications.

WA HCA PRC - Quarterly Meeting

On Wednesday at 10:35am PT, the Washington State Health Care Authority Prevention Research Collaborative (WA HCA PRC) Quarterly Meeting was scheduled to recur.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • The WA HCA PRC, formerly the Washington State Health Care Authority Prevention Research Subcommittee (WA HCA PRSC), provides a forum for prevention researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to identify and address emerging and evolving substance use disorder prevention and mental health promotion service and research needs in Washington state.  A model for the WSLCB Research Roundtable, the WA HCA PRC events are closed to the public, but Cannabis Observer has been granted a seat at the table.
  • According to the agenda, participants would undertake strategic planning given the changed political and fiscal landscape across the country.
    • “Legislative update & Leadership perspective on leg session, budget and HCA priorities”
      • WA HCA Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (WA HCA DBHR) staff provided an update about the State legislative session and budget implications during their listening session on May 27th.
    • “Framing the conversation” presentation by WA HCA PRC leadership
    • “Discussion on collective action to advocate for prevention”

Thursday June 5th

WSLCB - Public Hearing - Minors on Wholesale Licensed Premises

On Thursday at 10am PT, the WSLCB Policy and Rules team planned to host a public hearing on the Minors on Wholesale Licensed Premises rulemaking project.

  • [ Event Details, Rulemaking Project ]
  • Thursday would occasion the first rulemaking public hearing outside of the context of a WSLCB Board Meeting, an element of the “Board Efficiencies” instituted by Vollendroff.
    • As the hearing was a formally announced public meeting, WSLCB board members could attend.
    • When pulling the rulemaking hearings out of the board meeting context, members heard criticism from citizens concerned that their comments would not be heard directly by the board—or perhaps not at all—before decisionmaking.

Friday June 6th

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