A few events may get stuffed in ahead of November holidays, including an advocacy training by leading public health officials which was “not open to anyone from the Cannabis industry.”
Here’s a look at cannabis-related policymaking events on the calendar in the week ahead.
Monday November 25th
At publication time, no cannabis-related policymaking events were scheduled.
Tuesday November 26th
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 ]
- During the Tuesday November 19th caucus, Licensing staff sought clarification on who should be responsible for assessing social equity program qualifications of potential new owners in the event of the transfer and assumption of licenses issued by the program (audio - 2m, video - TVW, video - WSLCB). During the board meeting the following day, members affirmed the third party contracted to score applications—not Licensing division staff—should also perform that work (audio <1m, video - TVW, video - WSLCB). However, the apparently successful bidder, Alta Point Consulting, had not yet executed a contract with the agency at publication time.
- The caucus on Tuesday November 25th would be the first meeting of the remaining two board members after the expeditious departure of Chair David Postman for his new post as Chief of Staff for Attorney General-Elect Nick Brown.
DOH - Webinar - YCCTPP Training Series - Legislative Systems and Policy Analysis
On Tuesday at 1pm PT, the Washington State Department of Health Youth Cannabis and Commercial Tobacco Prevention Program (DOH YCCTPP) planned to host a webinar training for partner organizations titled, “A Deeper Dive into Legislative Systems and Policy Analysis.”
- [ Event Details ]
- The DOH YCCTPP, a combination of the former Youth Marijuana Prevention and Education Program (YMPEP) and the Commercial Tobacco Prevention Program (CTPP), aimed to “reduce initiation and use of cannabis by youth (ages 12-20), especially among populations most adversely affected by cannabis use throughout Washington state.”
- The terms “youth” and “young adult” had differing meanings within the public health and research communities. Researchers, such as the administrators of the Washington Young Adult Health Survey (WYAHS), defined young adults as 18-25 years of age while those administering the Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) addressed 6th-12th grade students.
- At publication time, the minimum age required to purchase cannabis products from regulated retail establishments was 21.
- The combined DOH YCCTPP, composed of about two dozen DOH staff, increased their impact in part by contracting with outside firms such as the Rede Group, a private Oregon company which specialized in facilitating events for the public health and prevention communities while also helping drive policy.
- The Rede Group organized the annual CannAct conference, intended to bring “public health professionals, prevention specialists, equity advocates, public safety professionals, tobacco prevention professionals, partners, and other advocates together virtually to discuss the new and changing legalized cannabis landscape in our communities. The conference focus is policy, system and environmental change and youth prevention.”
- The Rede Group also won the bid to organize the 2023 annual conference for the Washington State Public Health Association (WSPHA).
- In 2023, the Rede Group won a DOH contract to organize the curriculum for and facilitate a training series for DOH YCCTPP contractors, subcontractors, and partner organizations - where “partners” appear to be defined as recipients of grants from DOH YCCTPP.
- The Rede Group organized a DOH YCCTPP training webinar on vapor product disposal in November 2023, followed by an overview of cannabis education and safe storage led by University of Washington Addictions, Drug, and Alcohol Institute (UW ADAI) researcher Bia Carlini the following month - both subjects of wide interest beyond any particular stakeholder group.
- Cannabis Observer successfully registered for these events, which appeared to be open to the public at the time, precipitating a contrary response from the Rede Group organizers and DOH YCCTPP staff. Subsequent events were more clearly staked: “These sessions are for YCCTPP and other DOH Contractors, Subcontractors and partners only. It is not open to anyone from the Cannabis industry. By registering you agree to these terms and conditions.”
- Carlini later invoiced the Rede Group for a $1000 honorarium for preparing and delivering the hour-long webinar presentation.
- On Tuesday, the Rede Group would facilitate a DOH YCCTPP training series presentation on “Legislative Systems and Policy Analysis” led by two public health officials: Washington State Health Care Authority (WA HCA) Cannabis Policy and Project Manager Harrison Fontaine and WSLCB Public Health Education Liaison Kristen Haley.
- In addition to their respective duties within the agencies they represent, at publication time Haley and Fontaine were also co-chairs of the Washington Healthy Youth Coalition (WHY Coalition), a partnership of Washington State government agencies and private organizations with the mission to prevent and reduce underage alcohol and marijuana use.
- Fontaine and Haley organized a Cannabinoid Work Group within the WHY Coalition, originally to address the emergence of delta-8-THC outside of the regulated cannabis market. The group’s purpose was changed over the years, and in 2024 was oriented towards the development of a “high THC fact sheet” targeting legislators and other decision makers as well as written comments advocating for WSLCB staff to make changes to rules implementing SB 5367, “Concerning the regulation of products containing THC.”
- Also in 2024 in her role as Public Health Education Liaison at WSLCB, Haley organized a series of focus groups on high-THC products framed as an effort to bring together public health, prevention, and cannabis sector representatives to discuss difficult subject matter.
- After two planned meetings with public health and prevention interests in early June, Fontaine and Haley invited participants to the June 17th WHY Coalition Cannabinoid Work Group meeting to combine interests and provide additional coordination time ahead of the first meeting with cannabis industry stakeholders on June 26th.
- After a second and final focus group was organized exclusively for cannabis sector representatives on July 10th, Haley hosted a follow-up meeting with public health and prevention representatives on July 15th. Subsequent focus groups were organized to bring together selected representatives from all stakeholder groups.
- The two cannabis sector events which Cannabis Observer was encouraged to attend were recorded, but to our knowledge there was no continuous record made of any of the other events. Cannabis Observer was not invited to participate in the combined stakeholder focus groups.
- The Rede Group event on Tuesday, intended to coach participants on “coalition building in policy and politics: from defining policy problems to advocating for specific changes” was positioned as “not open to anyone from the Cannabis industry,” an increasingly familiar preamble to State-sponsored public health and research activity around cannabis.
- On August 7th, Haley helped the WSLCB Research Program organize and host a focus group with public health and prevention representatives to gather feedback on the development of data dashboards. Cannabis Observer asked to attend but received no response before the event, and was subsequently told the Research Program’s “dashboard development plan posted online specifies several stakeholders we are interested in receiving input from, including (but not limited to) license holders, public health and prevention partners, communities, legislators, and state agencies.” At publication time, no subsequent formal outreach had occurred.
- However, a prototype of the dashboard was demonstrated by WSLCB Research Analyst Nick Glodosky for the WA HCA Prevention Research Collaborative (WA HCA PRC) on September 4th, another closed group which Cannabis Observer sought and was granted access to on condition of not producing recordings of the proceedings.
- WSLCB Research Manager Sarah Okey opted to reboot the Cannabinoid Science Work Group, whose meetings were open to the public, and form a new cross-substance Research Roundtable. Meetings of the latter would be closed, although Okey indicated her intention to ask invited lecturers to record the proceedings for publication. Cannabis Observer sought but was not granted access to the events scheduled to begin in early 2025.
- Haley also continued the tradition of hosting quarterly Public Health and Prevention Roundtable events intended to build relationships with agency leadership. Those events remain closed despite calls for openness including from former Board Chair David Postman, who suggested in 2021 that one roundtable a year be open to the public so that the entire board could attend, saying it was “not just good for the board members to hear, but I think it elevates the conversation for the public as well.”
- On Wednesday November 20th during general public comment, I called for the Public Health Education Liaison to provide regular public updates to the board “because that person is up to a lot of stuff, doing a lot of work - and we don’t see a lot of that” (audio - 3m, video - WSLCB, video - TVW).
- On August 7th, Haley helped the WSLCB Research Program organize and host a focus group with public health and prevention representatives to gather feedback on the development of data dashboards. Cannabis Observer asked to attend but received no response before the event, and was subsequently told the Research Program’s “dashboard development plan posted online specifies several stakeholders we are interested in receiving input from, including (but not limited to) license holders, public health and prevention partners, communities, legislators, and state agencies.” At publication time, no subsequent formal outreach had occurred.
WA HCA - DBHR Listening Session
On Tuesday at 1:30pm PT, the monthly Washington State Health Care Authority (WA HCA) Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR) Behavioral Health Service Provider Listening Session was scheduled to recur.
- [ Event Details ]
- According to the event announcement, WA HCA staff planned to address the following subjects:
- “DBHR section updates
- “Proviso 6628 and Shared Decision Making tool
- “Behavioral Health decision package updates and priorities”
Wednesday November 27th
At publication time, no cannabis-related policymaking events were scheduled.
Thursday November 28th
The State of Washington recognizes Thanksgiving Day.
Friday November 29th
The State of Washington recognizes Native American Heritage Day.