Officials and licensees alike moved to squeeze in policy-related meetings between the end of year holidays as pre-filing for the 2025-26 biennial state legislative session opened on Monday.
Here’s a look at cannabis-related policymaking events on the calendar in the week ahead.
Monday December 2nd
WA Legislature - Pre-Filing Begins
On Monday, pre-filing of legislation for the 2025-26 biennial session of the Washington State Legislature (WA Legislature) was scheduled to begin.
- [ Legislative Session, Website ]
- 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 2025 regular session of the WA Legislature was scheduled to begin on Monday January 13th and end on Sunday April 27th.
CANNRA - Member Meeting
On Monday, members of the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) would convene in San Diego to begin their annual meeting.
- [ Website ]
- The event website indicated, “The purpose of this meeting is for CANNRA member government cannabis and hemp regulators to come together to discuss different regulatory issues, share new approaches being taken in their jurisdictions, and troubleshoot challenging policy and regulatory areas. The meeting includes panels, breakouts, and workshops. CANNRA committees also meet in person to collaborate on projects, work to harmonize policies, and conduct other committee business. CANNRA’s Annual Member meeting is limited to government officials only and has no non-governmental participation or engagement.”
Tuesday December 3rd
CANNRA - Member Meeting
On Tuesday, members of the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) would continue their annual meeting in San Diego.
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 caucus the week prior on Tuesday November 26th, the two remaining board members convened for the first time following the expedited departure of Chair David Postman for the purpose of hearing a data brief on cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) prepared by WSLCB Research Program staff which analyzed patterns in cannabis use not previously studied, leading to questions about further investigation of the condition from Acting Board Chair Jim Vollendroff, who requested the study.
- On Tuesday, members were scheduled to hear a quarterly update from human resources leadership in addition to preparing for the board meeting the following day.
WSLCB - Focus Group - Identification Reform
On Tuesday at 1:30pm PT, WSLCB Policy and Rules staff had planned to host a private focus group on the Identification Reform rulemaking project with Tribal Leaders, but it was unclear if that event had been rescheduled.
- [ Event Details, Rulemaking Project ]
- When the effort to implement identification reforms was initiated in October, Policy and Rules staff indicated their ambition to host pre-preposal focus groups in December. The events on December 9th and 10th were framed as “Virtual Public Stakeholder Engagement Sessions” whereas the event on December 3rd was addressed to Tribal Leaders.
- WSLCB Director of Policy and External Affairs subsequently announced that the events had been postponed to sometime in January, but didn’t clarify if that meant all of the focus groups. Given the sensitivities around government-to-government relationships with the 26 federally recognized tribes in Washington state, it was unclear if WSLCB staff would be so cavalier in cancelling plans they themselves had requested with representatives from other nations.
WSU CCPRO - Cannabis Research Seminar
On Tuesday at 4pm PT, the Washington State University Center for Cannabis Policy, Research, and Outreach (WSU CCPRO) would host a lecture in the Cannabis Research Seminar Series.
- [ Event Details ]
- During the last seminar on November 19th, WSU Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience Associate Professor David Rossi presented a lecture titled, "The Role of the Endocannabinoid System in Brain Development: A Focus on the Perinatal Period."
- WSU staff have continued to encounter technical trouble broadcasting the webinars.
- On Tuesday, WSU School of Biological Sciences Postdoctoral Researcher Nolan Scheible planned to present a lecture titled, "Xenobiotic Sequestration in Cannabis sativa L. Plants Reveals Differences in the Uptake and Accumulation Process Among Different Varieties."
Wednesday December 4th
CANNRA - Member Meeting
On Wednesday, members of the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) would conclude their annual meeting in San Diego.
WACA - Symposium - 2024
On Wednesday beginning at 9am PT, the Washington CannaBusiness Association (WACA) planned to host their annual winter symposium.
- [ Symposium Details ]
- While WACA is a private association, Cannabis Observer works with event organizers to observe private events where public officials are scheduled to speak in their official capacities.
WSLCB - Board Meeting
On Wednesday at 10am PT, the bi-weekly WSLCB Board Meeting was scheduled to recur.
- [ Event Details ]
- SB 5080 Implementation [ Rulemaking Project ]
- Following a contentious public hearing on September 11th and the filing of further amended rules as a supplemental CR-102 on October 23rd, staff were scheduled to host a public hearing on the latest proposed rules on Wednesday.
Thursday December 5th
At publication time, no cannabis-related policymaking events were scheduled.
Friday December 6th
At publication time, no cannabis-related policymaking events were scheduled.