The Week Ahead
(February 8, 2021)

Substance Use is a Public Health Issue

Of 19 bills closely tracked, five were out of committee and seven were scheduled for action this week - including new bills to limit cannabis concentrates and a drug decriminalization bill.

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

2021 Legislative Session - Cannabis-related Bill Status

House of Origin Policy Committee Cutoff is Monday February 15th.

  • HB 1019 - “Allowing residential marijuana agriculture.”
    • Sponsors (16): Kloba, MacEwen, Ryu, Wicks, Dolan, Fitzgibbon, Peterson, Goodman, Young, Vick, Ormsby, Springer, Stonier, Santos, Macri, Harris-Talley
    • Last Step: executive session in WA House COG on Friday January 22nd
    • Next Step: public hearing in WA House APP on Tuesday February 9th
  • HB 1057 - ‘Clarifying the meaning of the term “enjoyment of life and property” within the clean air act.’
  • HB 1105 - “Concerning arrest protections for the medical use of cannabis.”
    • Sponsors (12): Kloba, Simmons, Fitzgibbon, Dolan, Ortiz-Self, Goodman, Vick, Ormsby, Riccelli, Santos, Macri, Davis
    • Last Step: public hearing in WA House HCW on Thursday February 4th
    • Next Step: executive session in WA House HCW
  • HB 1210 - ‘Replacing the term "marijuana" with the term "cannabis" throughout the Revised Code of Washington.’
    • Sponsors (14): Morgan, Peterson, Kloba, J. Johnson, Ryu, Santos, Ortiz-Self, Ormsby, Simmons, Gregerson, Riccelli, Macri, Frame, Harris-Talley
    • Last Step: executive session in WA House COG on Friday January 29th
    • Next Step: referral by WA House RUL
  • HB 1260 - “Concerning the development of the marijuana market.”
    • Sponsors (11): Wicks, Dolan, Berry, Fitzgibbon, Simmons, Ramel, Ortiz-Self, Bateman, Sells, Lekanoff, Macri
    • Last Step: pro forma first reading and referral to WA House COG on Monday January 18th
    • Next Step: public hearing in WA House COG
  • HB 1345 - “Concerning the regulation of products sold to adults age 21 and over.”
    • Sponsors (9): Pollet, Cody, Valdez, Orwall, Dolan, Ryu, Lovick, Callan, Frame
    • Companion: SB 5266
    • Last Step: public hearing in WA House COG on Tuesday February 2nd
    • Next Step: executive session in WA House COG
  • HB 1414 - “Aligning marijuana licensing decisions by the liquor and cannabis board with local zoning ordinances.”
    • Sponsors (2): Goehner, Chambers
    • Last Step: public hearing in WA House COG on Tuesday February 2nd
    • Next Step: executive session in WA House COG
  • HB 1443 - "Concerning social equity within the cannabis industry."
    • Sponsors (13): Morgan, Wicks, Simmons, Berry, J. Johnson, Ramel, Kloba, Ryu, Peterson, Ormsby, Ortiz-Self, Harris-Talley, Macri (+12)
    • Companion: SB 5388
    • Last Step: public hearing in WA House COG on Friday February 5th
    • Next Step: executive session in WA House COG on Friday February 12th
  • NEW HB 1463 - “Addressing serious mental health consequences of high-potency cannabis products by regulating the sale of cannabis concentrates.”
    • Sponsors (11): Davis, Klippert, Ryu, Sutherland, Dent, Ramel, Walen, Ortiz-Self, Callan, Pollet, Eslick
    • Last Step: pro forma first reading and referral to WA House COG on Tuesday February 2nd
    • Next Step: public hearing in WA House COG on Friday February 12th
  • NEW HB 1499 - “Providing behavioral health system responses to individuals with substance use disorder.”
    • Sponsors (24): Davis, Harris-Talley, Ramel, Macri, Simmons, Peterson, Bateman, Fitzgibbon, Duerr, Ortiz-Self, Hackney, Slatter, Ryu, Berry, Sells, Thai, Chopp, Valdez, Pollet, Eslick, Ormsby, Morgan, Stonier, Frame
    • Last Step: pro forma first reading and referral to WA House PS on Friday February 5th
    • Next Step: public hearing in WA House PS on Friday February 12th
  • SB 5004 - “Providing a tax exemption for medical marijuana patients.”
    • Sponsors (8): Keiser, Warnick, Conway, Das, King, Kuderer, Saldaña, C. Wilson
    • Last Step: public hearing in WA Senate WM on Monday January 18th
    • Next Step: executive session in WA Senate WM on Thursday February 11th
  • SB 5035 - “Concerning offender scoring of drug offenses.”
    • Sponsors (18): Dhingra, Nguyen, Billig, Carlyle, Darneille, Das, Hasegawa, Kuderer, Liias, Lovelett, Mullet, Pedersen, Rolfes, Saldaña, Salomon, Stanford, Wellman, C. Wilson
    • Last Step: executive session in WA Senate LAW on Thursday January 28th
    • Next Step: referral by WA Senate RULE
  • SB 5129 - “Concerning the possession of vapor, vapor products, tobacco, and tobacco products by minors.”
    • Sponsors (6): Saldaña, Darneille, Nguyen, Nobles, Stanford, C. Wilson
    • Last Step: executive session in WA Senate HSRR on Friday January 29th
    • Next Step: referral by WA Senate RULE
  • SB 5266 - “Concerning the regulation of products sold to adults age 21 and over.”
    • Sponsors (6): Kuderer, C. Wilson, Das, Dhingra, Saldaña, Stanford
    • Companion: HB 1345
    • Last Step: executive session in WA Senate LCTA on Monday January 25th
    • Next Step: public hearing in WA Senate HLTC
  • SB 5327 - “Creating a confidential youth safety and well-being tip line.”
    • Sponsors (7): Brown, Frockt, Lovelett, Rivers, Short, Warnick, Wellman
    • Last Step: executive session in WA Senate HLTC - BH on Friday February 5th
    • Next Step: referral by WA Senate RULE
  • SB 5361 - “Concerning the resentencing of persons convicted of drug offenses.”
    • Sponsors (3): McCune, Warnick, J. Wilson
    • Last Step: pro forma first reading and referral to WA Senate LAW on Wednesday January 27th
    • Next Step: public hearing in WA Senate LAW on Thursday February 11th
  • SB 5365 - “Establishing a Washington state cannabis commission.”
    • Sponsors (5): Stanford, Conway, Das, Keiser, Nguyen
    • Last Step: public hearing in WA Senate LCTA on Monday February 1st
    • Next Step: executive session in WA Senate LCTA
  • SB 5372 - "Concerning a hemp processor registration process."
    • Sponsors (6): Stanford, Warnick, Conway, Hasegawa, Saldaña, J. Wilson
    • Last Step: executive session in WA Senate AWNP on Thursday February 4th
    • Next Step: referral by WA Senate RULE
  • SB 5388 - “Concerning social equity within the cannabis industry.”
    • Sponsors (5): Saldaña, Keiser, Nguyen, Stanford, C. Wilson
    • Companion: HB 1443
    • Last Step: pro forma first reading and referral to WA Senate LCTA on Friday January 29th
    • Next Step: public hearing in WA Senate LCTA

Monday February 8th

No cannabis-related policymaking events

Tuesday February 9th

On Tuesday at 10am PT, the weekly WSLCB Board Caucus was scheduled to recur.

On Tuesday at 3:30pm PT, the Washington State House Appropriations Committee (WA House APP) was scheduled to convene.

Wednesday February 10th

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 February 11th

On Thursday at 10:30am PT, the Washington State Senate Law and Justice Committee (WA Senate LAW) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Public Hearing: SB 5361 - "Concerning the resentencing of persons convicted of drug offenses."

On Thursday at 1:30pm PT, the third WSLCB Deliberative Dialogue on the Quality Control (QC) Testing and Product Requirements rulemaking project was scheduled to occur featuring cannabis testing laboratory panelists.

  • [ Event Details, Rulemaking Project ]
  • The November public hearing on the QC testing rulemaking project sent agency staff back to the drawing board prompting the Policy and Rules team to deploy a new technique in search of consensus and mutual understanding called deliberative dialogue. Three sessions featuring different panelists and topics will be moderated by Policy and Rules Manager Kathy Hoffman. Public participants were invited to observe and present questions for discussion.
  • See details on the first dialogue with patient and consumer panelists, and the second dialogue with producer and processor licensee panelists.

On Thursday at 4pm PT, the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee (WA Senate WM) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Executive Session: SB 5004 - "Providing a tax exemption for medical marijuana patients."

Friday February 12th

On Friday at 10am PT, the Washington State House Commerce and Gaming Committee (WA House COG) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Executive Session: HB 1443 - "Concerning social equity within the cannabis industry."
  • Public Hearing: HB 1463 - “Addressing serious mental health consequences of high-potency cannabis products by regulating the sale of cannabis concentrates.”
    • This is Representative Lauren Davis’ highly anticipated cannabis concentrates bill. The bill as written would limit concentrates to 30% THC and sales to adults over 25. Exceptions are carved out for medically endorsed retailers to sell concentrates greater than 30% THC to registered patients older than 21.
    • WA House COG leadership scheduled a policy committee public hearing on the bill for Friday. The House of Origin Policy Committee Cutoff is Monday February 15th. Presumably, this bill would not be granted a special status such as “necessary to implement the budget” (NTIB) as a fiscal note would likely project substantial negative revenue. So in order for this bill to continue moving this session, committee members would have to host an executive session on the bill before the end of the day Monday and move the bill out of committee. This session, WA House COG does not usually convene on Mondays. With all of that said, we’ve observed the Washington State Legislature enough to know that our presumptions and assumptions are often made with incomplete information or perspective.

On Friday at 10am PT, the Washington State House Environment and Energy Committee (WA House ENVI) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Executive Session: HB 1057 - 'Clarifying the meaning of the term "enjoyment of life and property" within the clean air act.'

On Friday at 10am PT, the Washington State House Public Safety Committee (WA House PS) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Public Hearing: HB 1499 - "Providing behavioral health system responses to individuals with substance use disorder."
    • This bill, also prime sponsored by Representative Lauren Davis, would decriminalize “possession of personal use amounts of controlled substances, counterfeit substances, and legend drugs” and substantially expand substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. The bill intends to initiate a paradigm shift away from regarding individuals who use controlled substances as criminals to divert them away from the criminal justice system and towards the behavioral health system.
    • The bill anticipates this would take some time and creates multiple diverse work groups to assist in the effort. After creation of a statewide plan by December 1st, a deadline of December 1st, 2022 would be established for initial implementation. The bill generously includes sections which would allow for the vacation of relevant convictions in the interim time.
    • The definition of “personal use amounts” would be determined by the Director of the Washington State Health Care Authority (WA HCA) in consultation with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), the Washington State Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (WA Pharmacy Commission), and a new work group established for that purpose. The bill modifies RCW 69.50.414 to signify possession of 40 grams or less of marijuana would remain a misdemeanor “unless the amount of marijuana does not exceed the applicable personal use amount or is otherwise authorized by this chapter.”
    • HB 1499 has garnered regional and national coverage. The City of Seattle initiated the related Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) model. In the City of Denver, the Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) pilot program responded to 748 calls in its first six months and handled all situations without incarceration.