Cannabis and prevention researchers across Washington planned to convene quarterly confabs before WSLCB staff leadership were scheduled to share monthly public updates.
Here’s a look at cannabis-related policymaking events on the calendar in the week ahead.
Monday June 10th
WSIPP - Board of Directors Meeting
On Monday at 9:30am PT, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) Board of Directors were scheduled to convene their quarterly meeting.
- [ Event Details ]
- WSIPP is a non-partisan public research group located in Olympia, Washington which conducts research at the direction of the Washington State Legislature or the Institute's Board of Directors. Created in 1983, WSIPP has become nationally and internationally recognized for the design, depth, and quality of its research reports and benefit-cost analyses. In the cannabis space, WSIPP researchers were tasked with performance of a multi-decade benefit-cost analysis of the State legalization of cannabis through Initiative 502 (I-502) and ancillary studies in support of that goal.
- In March, Senior Research Associate Amani Rashid, who leads the I-502 work at WSIPP, visited the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) to discuss trends her team had noticed when looking at academic outcomes correlated with drive time to cannabis retail access.
- While no cannabis-specific items were listed on the agenda for the WSIPP Board of Directors Meeting, staff would provide an overview of “Recent and upcoming reports.”
Tuesday June 11th
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 ]
- The agenda included time for a “Quarterly Human Resources Report.”
Wednesday June 12th
WA HCA PRC - Quarterly Meeting
On Wednesday at 10:30am, the Washington State Health Care Authority Prevention Research Collaborative (WA HCA PRC) was scheduled to convene its quarterly meeting.
- [ Event Details ]
- The Collaborative, formerly the Washington State Health Care Authority Prevention Research Subcommittee (WA HCA PRSC), provides 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.
- In March, the Subcommittee heard the first official presentation of results from the 2023 Healthy Youth Survey by WA HCA Prevention Research and Evaluation Manager Tyler Watson.
- Watson subsequently transferred to the WSLCB Research Program becoming the agency Research Specialist under the guidance of Research Manager Sarah Okey. They were joined by Research Analyst Nick Glodosky, formerly a Washington State University graduate research student working at Carrie Cuttler's lab. Cuttler developed an innovative means of getting around federal restrictions on cannabis research which allowed participants to use actual commercial products during video calls, research she reported on at the University of Washington Addictions, Drug, and Alcohol Institute (UW ADAI) Symposium on “High-THC Cannabis in Legal Regulated Markets” in 2022.
- Incidentally, UW ADAI staff announced their intentions to host another symposium on September 19th titled "Cannabis, Schizophrenia, and Psychotic Disorders: Moving Away From Reefer Madness Towards Science."
- During the June WA HCA PRC meeting, the agenda indicated participants planned to discuss two upcoming research briefs—annually devised handouts on a topic of interest targeting lay or political audiences—covering “The impact of prevention in different domains” and “Vaping – discussion to clarify objectives of this brief.”
WSLCB - Executive Management Team
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.
- [ Event Details ]
- After canceling the March and April EMT meetings, agency leaders discussed budget and legislative goals for 2025; rulemaking challenges; work with other states’ regulators; plus a new tribal compact in May.
Thursday June 13th
At publication time, no cannabis-related policymaking events were scheduled.
Friday June 14th
At publication time, no cannabis-related policymaking events were scheduled.