WA Senate LBRC - Work Session
(November 30, 2020) - In Brief

State and local officials as well as cannabis industry stakeholders discussed the Social Equity in Cannabis Task Force, excise taxes on medical marijuana, and a cannabis research commission.

• Senators heard about early progress by the Washington State Legislative Task Force on Social Equity in Cannabis (WA Task Force on Social Equity in Cannabis) and a potential need for legislative action (audio - 5m, video).
  • Task Force Co-Chair Paula Sardinas alleged prior licensing discrimination by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB, audio - 15m, video) which was responded to in part by WSLCB Director of Legislative Relations Chris Thompson (audio - 15m, video).
  • Representatives from the Association of Washington Cities shared local government survey results on cannabis concerns (audio - 4m, video) and equity (audio - 3m, video).
  • Members of Black Excellence in Cannabis (BEC, audio - 10m, video) and former applicant Sami Saad (audio - 8m, video) shared their experiences with WSLCB licensing.
  • A representative from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) offered a presentation offering national perspective (audio - 18m, video).

• Committee Chair Karen Keiser stated that she planned to sponsor medical cannabis legislation to reduce or remove the excise tax for patients during a presentation on medical cannabis by SMJ Consulting Founder Mary Brown (audio - 5m, video) and patient advocate Lukas Barfield (audio - 4m, video).

• Lara Kaminsky, representing The Cannabis Alliance told lawmakers the group planned to lobby for a revised commodity commission bill to create a Producer-funded organization to pursue cannabis research (audio - 3m, video). The move was supported by Alan Schreiber, executive director of two existing agriculture commissions (audio - 4m, video).

Information Set