The Week Ahead
(July 15, 2024)

Cannabis - Green Cross - MMJ - Social Equity - Gavel - Rulemaking

It’s a busy week with next steps on the social equity program, substantial rulemaking, medical cannabis testing, high THC products, along with cannabis consumer and budtender education.

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

Monday July 15th

WSLCB - Webinar - Social Equity Licensing Application Project Pre-Bid Conference

On Monday at 1:30pm PT, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) staff planned to host a webinar to field questions from potential contractors preparing to respond to a request for proposals (RFP) to qualify applicants and score applications during the next social equity licensing window.

  • [ Event Details, RFP ]
  • In advance of the first social equity licensing window and following criticism of the handling of prior licensing windows, WSLCB staff determined that it could be helpful to have a third-party be responsible for vetting applicants and scoring applications for cannabis licenses.  The agency issued an RFP and awarded the contract to a law firm which spun off the work into a separate entity called Ponder Diversity Group (PDG).
    • WSLCB staff became so convinced of the merits of this approach that they sought to encode the requirement into law as part of SB 5080 - before the first round of social equity applicants had been processed by PDG and their findings vigorously contested.
  • As the contract is so valuable, WSLCB renewed the RFP on June 26th to open up the opportunity for new bids.  The webinar on Monday would be a standard opportunity for potential bidders to present questions prior to submitting proposals.  WSLCB staff may respond to the questions presented in the moment and will formally respond to all questions in writing for amendment to the RFP package.
  • WSLCB staff provided a comprehensive update on the social equity program during the Tuesday July 9th Board Caucus, detailing revisions to the social equity program scoring rubric prompting board members to promise there would be more chances for public input before any changes were adopted.

Tuesday July 16th

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 ]
  • Also during the caucus on July 9th, board members heard a presentation from WSLCB Research Operations Specialist Tyler Watson on 2023 Healthy Youth Survey results.
  • Members subsequently cancelled the monthly Executive Management Team meeting scheduled for Wednesday July 10th, the third time they have done so in 2024.

Wednesday July 17th

WA ORC Task Force - Meeting

On Wednesday at 9am PT, the Washington State Organized Retail Crime Task Force (WA ORC Task Force) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • According to the agenda, members would hear a brief update from former Governor Christine Gregoire, CEO of Challenge Seattle, before a panel discussion with representatives of similar task forces in California, Utah, and Arizona.

WSLCB - Board Meeting

On Wednesday at 10am PT, the bi-weekly WSLCB Board Meeting was scheduled to recur.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • After cancelling the July 3rd board meeting, members planned quite a bit of formal rulemaking activity for Wednesday.
  • Rulemaking Petition
  • CR-101
    • HB 2151 Implementation (mentioned June 4th)
  • CR-102
    • HB 1453 Implementation (mentioned June 11th)
    • Minors on Wholesale Licensed Premises (mentioned April 23rd)
    • Payment Flexibility (mentioned May 7th)

Thursday July 18th

DOH - Webinar - Medical Cannabis - Workshop

On Thursday at 10am PT, Washington State Department of Health (DOH) staff planned to host a webinar on the medical cannabis rulemaking project.

WTSC - Commission Meeting

On Thursday at 10am PT, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • The WTSC is Washington state’s designated highway safety office as codified in RCW 43.59.  The WTSC Director is the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative which is a designated position each state is required to have in order to qualify for federal traffic safety funding.  The commission hosts meetings quarterly, and as needed.
  • On Thursday July 11th, the Washington Impaired Driving Advisory Council (WIDAC) convened their quarterly meeting and hosted a presentation on “High THC Concentration” by WSLCB Public Health Education Liaison Kristen Haley.  Haley provided background including a working definition of “high THC” as products containing greater than 35% of the cannabinoid; asserted risks posed by these products; described the agency’s work convening stakeholders in the interim; and described potential strategies to address the asserted risks including education and research. However, Haley also indicated more controversial strategies remained on the table such as tiered taxation structures, age gating, and potency caps (audio - 15m).
    • During the more recent of two WSLCB focus groups on high THC products restricted to cannabis sector representatives on Wednesday July 10th—the day before the presentation to WIDAC—staff and attendees traded ideas for collaboration around messaging and regulation of high THC items, along with developing more respectful dialogue between industry and public health groups.
    • In her presentation to WIDAC, Haley indicated the agency had hosted three focus groups with public health and prevention stakeholders - and a fourth was planned.  No information from those events had been willfully disclosed by participants nor the agency, aside from what could possibly be inferred with uncertainty from the WIDAC presentation.
    • In her WIDAC presentation, Haley remained committed to selecting representatives from each stakeholder community to meet together on the subject of high THC products sometime in the future.

Friday July 19th

At publication time, no cannabis-related policymaking events were scheduled.

Saturday July 20th

RSMj - Scientific Meeting - 2024 - Reaching the Modern Cannabis Consumer

On Saturday at 7:30am PT, WSLCB staff planned to present at the Research Society on Marijuana (RSMj) annual Scientific Meeting.