The Week Ahead
(June 30, 2025)

The Week Ahead (June 30, 2025) - WSLCB - Board Efficiencies - Bike Stick

The DOH Medical Cannabis Registry was launched, the social equity registration window would be closed, and the WSLCB Board was doing nothing - which appeared to be the Chair’s goal.

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

Monday June 30th

DOH - Medical Cannabis Registry (MCR) Launch

On Monday at 7am PT, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Medical Cannabis Program planned to launch the new Medical Cannabis Registry (MCR).

  • The dedicated team at DOH responsible for managing the medical cannabis program undertook the replacement of the Airlift patient registration platform with a new Medical Cannabis Registry:
    • “We will soon transition to a brand-new patient registry called the Medical Cannabis Registry (MCR or registry), that will replace the current Airlift system. While this will be a major transition, the new system vastly improves and expands the capacity of Airlift. It retains the current roles and tasks of the endorsed stores, while adding accounts and services for patients.“
    • cloudPWR CEO Shadrach White, the Airlift vendor, reached out to Cannabis Observer after publication to note, "The registry operated for 10yrs. and 4 months with zero downtime and zero data breaches. WSDOH mandated us to configure our software against our recommendations in 2016. The DOH functional requirements created numerous challenges for users and were in direct contradiction to our suggestions."
  • In June, DOH medical cannabis program staff completed 26 training opportunities for six different constituencies with the assistance of staff from the MCR vendor, Visual Vault.
    • Retail Medical Cannabis “Consultants”
    • Retailers (“Store Owners/Delegates”)
    • “Budtenders” (and non-consultant “Employees”)
    • “Patients”
    • “Law Enforcement”
    • “Healthcare Providers”
  • On June 27th, staff broadcast an email to Airlift users noting, “We are days away from our transition to the Medical Cannabis Registry.”  By Sunday June 29th, the MCR website had been updated with a document detailing steps to sign into Secure Access Washington (SAW) to configure MCR access for all user types; training guides and videos for each user type; and Visual Vault support contact information.
    • Staff planned to open MCR for business at 7am on Monday morning.

Tuesday July 1st

WSLCB - Board Caucus

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

  • [ Event Details ]
  • In keeping with “Board Efficiencies” implemented in March, the weekly board caucus cadence was changed to every other week and 25 public meetings planned for the calendar year were cancelled.

DOH YCCTPP - Budtender Training Regime Statutory Deadline

On Tuesday, the Washington State Department of Health Youth Cannabis and Commercial Tobacco Prevention Program (DOH YCCTPP) was required by law to complete development of its optional budtender training regime.

  • The DOH YCCTPP coordinates resources towards prevention and cessation of cannabis and commercial tobacco use. Regarding cannabis, staff implement the Washington Recovery Help Line, fund the non-profit Washington Poison Center (WAPC), and distribute local grants while creating prevention and education programming such as media campaigns and outreach to priority populations, including adults within cannabis retail environments.
  • In mid-June, DOH YCCTPP staff and contractor Rede Group hosted two focus groups with budtenders and retailers as part of the agency response to a provision in the 2024 session law HB 2320 (High THC Products) which read:
    • “By July 1, 2025, the department of health must develop an optional training that cannabis retail staff may complete to better understand the health and safety impacts of high THC cannabis products. In developing the optional training, the department of health must consult with cannabis retail staff, cannabis consumers, persons who have been harmed by high THC products, health care providers, prevention professionals, researchers with relevant expertise, behavioral health providers, and representatives of licensed cannabis businesses.”
    • It’s Cannabis Observer’s understanding that DOH YCCTPP extended an existing contract with the Rede Group to perform the work which began in earnest in April 2025.  The Rede Group hosted focus groups with other named stakeholder groups in the months prior to June, potentially providing greater opportunity for their input to shape final deliverables.  It also appeared that WSLCB staff would play a role in helping compose the training program which would consist of four 15-minute video modules.
    • Learn more about DOH YCCTPP and the Rede Group.
  • Around the same time that the focus groups were announced, the Rede Group announced their intention to host a subsequent closed training program for public health and prevention community stakeholders offering a “Preview of high-THC training for retail cannabis workers (budtenders): What you need to know and how you can help.”
    • Per the DOH YCCTPP and Rede Group policy regarding their training webinars, "These sessions are for the YCCTPP, as well as other DOH contractors, subcontractors, and partners, including prevention and research partners. It is not open to anyone from the Cannabis industry."
  • At publication time, Cannabis Observer was not aware of any announcements from DOH YCCTPP, the Rede Group, nor the WSLCB regarding the launch of the optional budtender training regime, which was statutorily required to be developed “by July 1, 2025.”
    • Previously, DOH YCCTPP was responsible for delivery of another provision of HB 2320, the warning signs required to be “conspicuously posted” near cannabis retail points of sale associating risks with high THC products.  DOH YCCTPP staff published those signs at the end of 2024 effectively granting retailers one day to come into compliance with the new requirement presented with little explanation and no provision of time for training retail staff to respond to customer inquiries.

WSLCB - Social Equity Registration Window Closes

At midnight on Tuesday, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) planned to close the registration window for the second round of the social equity program.

  • On June 27th, WSLCB staff broadcast an email noting, “The registration window for Cannabis Social Equity retail licenses closes next Tuesday, July 1. If you are interested in a Cannabis Social Equity license, you need to register before the window closes. Registration is the first step in the Social Equity Licensing process and does not guarantee a license.”
  • During the WSLCB Board Meeting on June 4th, Social Equity Case Manager Sarah Worley provided an update on the status of first round social equity program applicants and offered details about the second retail licensing application window midway through the first week of registration (audio - 5m, video - WSLCB, video - TVW).

Wednesday July 2nd

WSLCB - Board Meeting

The monthly WSLCB Board Meeting was cancelled.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • As the agency transitioned from hosting board meetings every two weeks to a monthly cadence as part of their “Efficiencies,” the cancellation of the meeting on Wednesday without rescheduling would likely result in the board not meeting to undertake formal rulemaking during the entire month of July.
    • However, as board members acquiesced to Chair Jim Vollendroff’s plan to delegate their authority to initiate rulemaking in limited circumstances on June 4th, the necessity for the board to undertake formal rulemaking had been lessened.  Director Will Lukela subsequently delegated the authority to Director of Policy and External Affairs Justin Nordhorn, who then used the authority on June 25th to initiate two rulemaking projects responding to petitions that had been previously accepted by the board.  In keeping with previous statements by Policy and Rules Manager Kevin Walder, staff did not anticipate getting to those rulemaking projects before 2026, although the initial comment period would be open for one month.
  • According to emails obtained by Cannabis Observer, Vollendroff, Lukela, and their counsel at the Washington State Office of the Attorney General (WA OAG) had initially planned for the board’s role in formal rulemaking to be almost entirely eliminated.  Authority to accept rulemaking petitions, initiate rulemaking (CR-101s), propose rules (CR-102s), and host public hearings would have been delegated to the agency Director under the original plan.  The Board’s only remaining purpose with regards to rulemaking would have been to rubber stamp final rules in the CR-103 step.
    • At publication time, it was unclear why Vollendroff stepped back his initial public proposal or whether additional changes could be expected to be incrementally rolled out - like the CR-101 delegation.
  • In addition to voluntarily diluting their own power, members had also largely ceased to hear from the public.
    • One of the other changes instituted by Vollendroff was the elimination of the opportunity to offer verbal public comment at the board meetings.  Instead, members of the public were encouraged to offer written comments to the board.  Members promised to read written comments and discuss them internally, but there did not appear to be a mechanism to hold members accountable to that promise nor verify that any deliberation occurred.
    • More simply, there were not many written general comments being shared for board members to become informed about public concerns.
      • During the last board meeting where general public comment was permitted on March 26th, 12 individuals took the opportunity to share their perspectives.  In the ensuing three months, the board received two written comments in total: one regarding hemp gummies and another from Citizen Observer Bailey Hirschburg.
      • During the same time period in 2024, the board heard or received 41 verbal or written comments across seven board meetings, two of which were cancelled.
      • Hirschburg indicated he received no reply to his written comment, and at publication time it had not been publicly mentioned by board members.
    • In May 2024 when Vollendroff was not yet Chair, he observed that after a quarter century working in government, WSLCB provided “some of the most frequent opportunities to engage with leadership within a state agency that I know of. Going into board meetings, joining caucus, these are just incredible opportunities. And I've seen people take advantage of that in ways that I think have made us better.” At the time, Vollendroff claimed, “I look forward to seeing increased opportunities and community and engagement with those folks that we interact with on a regular basis” (audio - 1m, video - TVW).
  • Vollendroff had indicated that his “Efficiencies” were in part a response to Governor Bob Ferguson’s call for regulatory agencies to find budget savings - calls that were recently renewed by the executive.
  • Fewer board meetings would lead to cost savings within an organization that had become somewhat notorious for hosting too many meetings inclusive of too many staff members. However, it also diminished opportunities for board members and staff to connect with—and learn from—regulated communities and members of the public who were impacted by agency policy decisions and enforcement priorities.
    • When coupled with what appeared to be a methodical attempt to streamline all rulemaking operations within the agency itself, the readily visible power of the board could be constrained to presiding over adjudicative proceedings, appointing the Director, and other ceremonial gestures.
  • Less transparently, the time savings gained by spending less effort interfacing with the public increased the capacity of board members—or at least the Chair—to focus on exercising soft power to nudge internal operations of the agency and the priorities of some stakeholders, as well as more proactively influence State law and policy on controlled substances.
    • Vollendroff understandably took pride in the activities of the Research Program he helped champion, but the largely overlapping activities of the Public Health Education Liaison whom Vollendroff was in frequent coordination with called the Program’s priorities into question.
      • Shortly after his appointment as Chair, Vollendroff said he had consulted with Lukela about how he planned to approach his role as board chair, and the importance of reinforcing the perception that the board was "staying in its lane and not getting involved in operations” (audio - 3m, video - TVW, video - WSLCB).
    • Some stakeholders appeared to be more privileged than others as indicated by Vollendroff’s solicitation of legislative priorities during the closed Public Health and Prevention Roundtable on March 24th which also included a preview “plug” for an upcoming survey on strategic topics of interest.
    • Vollendroff had indicated interest in convening his fellow board members for a strategic planning retreat to develop longer term plans for shifting controlled substance policy in Washington state independent of the annual agency management team five-year planning process.  But as those events would necessarily have to be structured as public meetings, and informing board members of the Chair’s plans seemed to be a consistent afterthought, the idea had not been publicly mentioned in ensuing months.

Thursday July 3rd

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

Friday July 4th

The State of Washington recognizes the federal Independence Day holiday.