As legislators sought perspectives on contemporary cannabis policy issues and regulators willingly shared, a group of publicly-funded prevention researchers kept their doors closed.
Here’s a look at cannabis-related policymaking events on the calendar in the week ahead.
Monday December 4th
WA Legislature - Pre-Filing Begins
On Monday, pre-filing of new legislation for the 2024 regular session of the Washington State Legislature begins.
- [ Pre-Filed Bills ]
- Members of the WA Legislature “can prefile bills for introduction in the month before session begins. Prefiled bills are officially introduced the first day of the session.”
- The 2024 regular session of the WA Legislature was scheduled to begin on Monday January 8th and end on Thursday March 7th.
Tuesday December 5th
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 agenda, members planned to review a “Proposed Memorandum of Agreement Between the LCB and The Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians.”
- As well, members planned to welcome the newest member of the Policy and Rules team, Coordinator Denise Laflamme.
- Along with the return of Policy and Rules Coordinator Jeff Kildahl from extended leave, the hiring of Laflamme would return the Policy and Rules team to full staffing for the first time since spring 2023.
WA House RSG - Committee Meeting
On Tuesday at 12pm 10:30am PT, the Washington State House Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee (WA House RSG) planned to convene for the purpose of hosting work sessions.
- [ Event Details ]
- The primary cannabis policy committee in the House planned to host two work sessions to hear updates on contemporary issues within the sector from agency representatives and selected stakeholders.
- According to the agenda, the first work session on “Cannabis Laboratory Testing and Pesticides" would encompass presentations and questioning of staff from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE), and the WSLCB.
- See the combined DOH/WSDA presentation. At publication time, WA Legislature staff had not published presentations from Ecology or WSLCB.
- The second work session on the “Cannabis Social Equity Program” would be led by WSLCB with follow-on presentations from Washington State Department of Commerce (WA Commerce) staff and Black Excellence in Cannabis (BEC) representatives.
- The agenda and WSLCB slidedeck indicated that Director William Lukela may lead the presentation with assistance from Director of Legislative Relations Marc Webster. If so, it’s our understanding this would be the first public engagement by Lukela with a Washington State legislative body.
- WA Commerce Life Science and Global Health Sector Lead Alison Beason was scheduled to lead the Commerce presentation, followed by feedback from BEC Founder Peter Manning and Vice President Mike Asai.
Wednesday December 6th
WSLCB - Board Meeting
On Wednesday at 10am PT, the bi-weekly WSLCB Board Meeting was scheduled to recur.
- [ Event Details ]
WA HCA PRSC - Quarterly Meeting
On Wednesday at 10am PT, the Washington State Health Care Authority Prevention Research Subcommittee (WA HCA PRSC) Quarterly Meeting was scheduled to recur.
- [ Event Details ]
- The WA HCA PRSC was a historically obscured and unusual public organization intended to “provide 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.”
- While the organization had taken admirable steps to increase transparency into its deliberations with the publication of quarterly meeting dates and presentation materials after the fact (most recently in March 2023), there were no continuous recordings of the body’s deliberations and members of the public were not invited to observe much less participate.
- I reached out to WA HCA PRSC staff and leadership requesting permission to observe respectfully, and my inquiry was handled by Co-Chair Kevin Haggerty, University of Washington School of Social Work Emeritus Professor of Prevention. He indicated, “The meeting is designed for researchers and state and local prevention workers to come together to discuss emerging research issues, so it [is] not typical to have media observers. The group has previously decided not [to] record the proceedings for posting on Athena.”
- As Haggerty indicated a willingness “to talk with you a bit more,” I followed up to suggest we schedule time “to better introduce ourselves and talk about the potential benefits of increased transparency for the PRSC.” At publication time, Haggerty had not taken me up on the offer intended to build bridges.
- According to the version of the agenda for the December meeting which Cannabis Observer obtained, participants would focus on “Young Adults” aged 18-25. Haggerty planned to lead a panel discussion on “Trends in substance use for adolescents and young adults, and what this means for Washington State,” UW Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Jason Kilmer would provide an update on the Washington Young Adult Health Survey (WYAHS), and members would consider renaming and promoting the subcommittee to the Prevention Research Committee.
- The WSLCB board last received an update from Kilmer on the WYAHS in July 2022. He shared his findings at the University of Washington Addictions, Drug, and Alcohol Institute (UW ADAI) Symposium in September of that year.
Thursday December 7th
WSLCB - Work Group - Cannabinoid Science - Public Meeting
On Thursday at 10am PT, the WSLCB Cannabinoid Science Work Group (WSLCB - Work Group - Cannabinoid Science) was scheduled to convene.
- [ Event Details ]
- Established and led by former Research Manager Kathy Hoffman, the Cannabinoid Science Work Group planned to convene for the first time since Hoffman’s departure under the leadership of staff remaining in the WSLCB Research Unit.
- At their October 5th meeting, members reviewed already-submitted edits and suggested final changes to WSLCB recommendations on THC detectability, lab technology, product safety, and future topics.
- During her rulemaking update on November 7th, Policy and Rules Manager Cassidy West indicated, “I will also be working with [Operational Research Specialist Sarah] Okey and the Cannabinoid Science Work Group to develop and refine proposed language” on the implementation of SB 5367 concerning detectable levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). She added that a stakeholder engagement session on conceptual draft rules would be scheduled “sometime after Thanksgiving, [in] early December.” At publication time, that session had not been announced.
- According to the agenda, work group members would address “THC Bill Questions and Feedback,” “Review Areas of Research Interests,” and “Identify Next Topic Area.”
DOE - Webinar - Accreditation of Cannabis Laboratories - Public Workshop
On Thursday at 2pm PT, Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) staff planned to host a public workshop on the Accreditation of Cannabis Laboratories rulemaking project.
- [ Event Details, Rulemaking Project ]
- Ecology staff planned to host a fourth pre-proposal webinar on rules to establish a cannabis lab accreditation program at the Department to ensure private labs abide by requirements defined by WSDA, taking over a responsibility WSLCB had long delegated to private contractor RJ Lee.
- During the third webinar on Wednesday November 29th, staff laid out changes in the latest lab accreditation rulemaking draft, including a lower cost of implementation and a waiver process around in-matrix proficiency testing.
The Cannabis Alliance - Town Hall - DOH Medical Cannabis Program
On Thursday at 5pm PT, The Cannabis Alliance planned to host a town hall event with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Medical Cannabis Program team.
- [ Event Details ]
- While the Cannabis Alliance is a non-profit, membership-based 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.
- According to the event announcement regarding the “Department of Health Town Hall aiming to amplify patient voices,” participants could expect “We'll delve into patient experiences, exploring the impact of cannabis and navigating the complexities of medical care. Our diverse panel, including patients, providers, and the Department of Health, will reflect on shared narratives and emerging themes from the community. Discussions will touch on establishing and maintaining patient status, complexities within the medical system, sourcing medicine, and financial considerations. Together, we'll celebrate progress, scrutinize areas needing attention, seeking actionable insights, and fostering community unity.”
- It’s Cannabis Observer’s understanding that most, if not all, of the DOH staff associated with the Medical Cannabis Program had been invited and committed to participate in the event.
- The event was scheduled to take place in-person at the Seattle Public Library Central Branch with a webinar option for remote participants.
Friday December 8th
At publication time, no cannabis-related policymaking events were scheduled.