Notably, this conversation included the first public mention of a parallel dialogue with prevention community group(s) to gather and consider their perspective on cannabis product, packaging and labeling rules.
- Board Chair Jane Rushford raised her “concern that they’re not represented in some way” although the focus of the presentation was dialogue with the trade associations.
- Earlier that month, Chair Rushford attended a prevention community conference with outgoing WSLCB Public Health and Education Liaison Mary Segawa and incoming WSLCB Public Health and Education Liaison Scott McCarty. McCarty now occupies one of five seats on the WSLCB’s internal product, packaging, and labeling review board.
- The primary prevention community group in dialogue with WSLCB appears to be the Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention (WASAVP). Here is WASAVP’s August 12th MIE complaint email and formal comment, the only MIE complaint filed by an organization thus far identified by Cannabis Observer.
- Smith agreed to incorporate feedback from the prevention group(s): “we’ll provide, the information back to all of you with some changes as far as the prevention community, we’ll include that in, in this.” A WSLCB document outlining WASAVP’s proposals and MIE examples was shared with the trade associations in early December.
- Smith concluded the presentation saying, “…we’d like to move forward, in, in making some interim, you know, interim rule changes, Board policies.” Two weeks later (Dec 12), three board interim policies were adopted.