WA Legislature - Update
(January 21, 2025)

WA Legislature - Update (January 21, 2025) - Takeaways

Home grow and direct sales bills were set for introduction, data dashboard legislation may be advanced, and officials would lead a work session on impaired driving before a public hearing in the House.

Here are some observations of the Washington State Legislature (WA Legislature) for Tuesday January 21st, the 9th day of the 2025 regular session.

My top 2 takeaways:

  • Introductions of legislation went as planned on Monday while home grow and limited direct sales bills were readied for Tuesday.
    • HB 1410 - “Concerning the suspension of inactive cannabis producer licenses.”
      • Inactive Production License Suspension
      • On Monday, Representative Sam Low introduced legislation requiring the WSLCB to suspend producer licenses which showed no business activity between July 2023 and December 2024, predicating re-issuance upon interstate commerce.  The bill was referred to the Washington State House Consumer Protection and Business Committee (WA House CPB) where a public hearing had not been announced by publication time.
    • HB 1449 - “Legalizing the home cultivation of cannabis by persons who are 21 years of age and older.”
      • Cannabis Home Grow
      • On Tuesday, Representatives Shelley Kloba and Brandy Donaghy planned to introduce legislation to allow an adult to grow six cannabis plants (combined up to 15 per ‘housing unit’) while establishing parameters and penalties around the practice.
      • According to the draft introduction report, the bill was planned for referral to the WA House CPB where both Kloba and Donaghy were members during the pro forma chamber floor session scheduled to begin at 9:55am [ TVW ].
    • SB 5403 - “Allowing direct to consumer sales of certain cannabis products.”
      • Cannabis Direct Sales
      • Senator Rebecca Saldaña planned to introduce succinct legislation which would authorize limited farm gate sales by cannabis producers to sell flower directly to consumers.  Eligible products would be constrained to:
        • “cannabis flower produced and processed by the licensee at the licensee's licensed location” sold in compliance with the retailer statute RCW 69.50.360
        • Or: “cannabis flower produced within the licensed business entity” and likewise complying with retailer requirements
      • According to the draft introduction report, the bill was planned for referral to the Washington State Senate Labor and Commerce Committee (WA Senate LC) which Saldaña chairs during the pro forma chamber floor session scheduled to begin at 12:30pm [ TVW ].
        • At publication time, the WA Senate LC—the primary cannabis policy committee in the Senate—had yet to take up a cannabis bill.  However, SB 5403 would only be the second cannabis-related bill introduced in the Senate in 2025, the other being SB 5206, Senator Drew MacEwen’s cannabis retailer advertising bill which had also been referred to WA Senate LC.