The Week Ahead
(January 27, 2024)

WA Legislature - Active Legislation (January 27, 2025)

Six bills were scheduled for public hearings and three for executive sessions while regulators planned to take a second pass at product samples rules.

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

Monday January 27th

WA Senate LC - Committee Meeting

On Monday at 10:30am PT, the Washington State Senate Labor and Commerce Committee (WA Senate LC) was scheduled to convene.

Tuesday January 28th

WA Senate LAW - Committee Meeting

On Tuesday at 8am PT, the Washington State Senate Law and Justice Committee (WA Senate LAW) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Public Hearing
    • SB 5290 - Pre-Hearing SUD Treatment
      • Senators Manka Dhingra and Jesse Salomon introduced this cannabis-adjacent criminal justice and behavioral health legislation on January 15th to create incentives to pursue substance use disorder (SUD) treatment for dismissal of certain drug possession charges.

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 caucus on Tuesday January 21st, members received a succinct update on legislative happenings and marked the second public meeting of new Board Member Pete Holmes.
    • Director of Legislative Relations Marc Webster provided a quick update, hardly mentioning any particular bills, but calling out the introductions of HB 1449 (Cannabis Home Grow) and SB 5403 (Cannabis Direct Sales).
      • Interestingly, he said that the Office of Governor Bob Ferguson sent out guidance to agencies enforcing more strictly limited testimony by their lobbyists - so Webster expected he would not be testifying publicly on quite so many bills in 2025 (audio - 1m, video - WSLCB, video - TVW).
      • Chair Jim Vollendroff recited his lengthy list of "bills of interest" (audio - 3m, video - WSLCB, video - TVW) which included most cannabis-related bills as well as the flavored vapor and tobacco product ban (HB 1203 / SB 5183) and legislation on "psychedelic substances” (HB 1433 / SB 5201).
    • Holmes was present in person for his second public meeting alongside Vollendroff.  During his update at the end of the call, Holmes took a moment to say he was happy to be there, prompting Vollendroff to remark on their composition of a "well rounded board who bring different perspectives" (audio - 1m, video - WSLCB, video - TVW).
  • According to the agenda for the caucus on Tuesday, members were scheduled to receive an update on legislative affairs and prepare for rulemaking at the board meeting the following day.

WA House CPB - Committee Meeting

On Tuesday at 1:30pm PT, the Washington State House Consumer Protection and Business Committee (WA House CPB) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Public Hearing
    • HB 1341 - DOH Patient Data Sharing
      • On Thursday January 16th, Representative Sharon Wylie introduced WSLCB request legislation to authorize access to Washington State Department of Health (DOH) patient data.
      • On Thursday January 23rd, a $0 (partial) fiscal note was published in which neither WSLCB nor DOH staff expected any work would be required to authorize similar or identical access already granted to Washington State Department of Revenue (WA DOR) staff.
    • HB 1347 - Clarifying WSLCB Certification Authority
      • Representative Kristine Reeves’ legislation also introduced on Thursday January 16th intended to better distinguish WSDA accreditation from WSLCB certification of private cannabis testing labs.
      • HB 1347 was granted a $0 fiscal note on Thursday January 23rd, which may prove to be a Golden Ticket for legislation during an ostensibly more strict budgeting year.
    • HB 1449 - Cannabis Home Grow
      • On Tuesday January 21st, Representatives Shelley Kloba and Brandy Donaghy introduced 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. By the end of the day, 14 new co-sponsors signed on to support the legislation, in total inclusive of one third of all WA House CPB members.
      • At publication time, neither a bill analysis nor fiscal note had been published on the legislation.

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.

Wednesday January 29th

WSLCB - Board Meeting

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

WA House CPB - Committee Meeting

On Wednesday at 1:30pm PT, the Washington State House Consumer Protection and Business Committee (WA House CPB) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Executive Session
    • HB 1066 - WSLCB Data Dashboard
      • While previously scheduled for an executive session on Tuesday January 21st, action was deferred on the regulated substances data dashboard bill due to a pending amendment by Reeves, the prime sponsor.  At publication time, no amendments had been published.
  • Public hearings on three cannabis-related bills previously scheduled for this meeting were deferred on Thursday January 23rd.

Thursday January 30th

WA House CS - Committee Meeting

On Thursday at 8am PT, the Washington State House Community Safety Committee (WA House CS) was scheduled to convene.

WA Senate LAW - Committee Meeting

On Thursday at 10:30am PT, the Washington State Senate Law and Justice Committee (WA Senate LAW) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Executive Session
    • SB 5290 - Pre-Hearing SUD Treatment
      • Following the public hearing on Tuesday, senators planned to consider taking action on the legislation on Thursday.

DOH - Webinar - YCCTPP Training Series - Safe Storage

On Thursday at 11am PT, the Washington State Department of Health Youth Cannabis and Commercial Tobacco Prevention Program (DOH YCCTPP) planned to have their contractor host a webinar on research around safe consumer storage of cannabis products, but the event appeared to have been cancelled.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • For several years, DOH YCCTPP staff had contracted with the Rede Group to devise and execute a training curriculum for their grantees.  Inquiries by Cannabis Observer helped lead to published clarifications that "These sessions are for YCCTPP and other DOH Contractors, Subcontractors and partners only. It is not open to anyone from the Cannabis industry.”
  • Thursday’s event aimed to explore “A local program’s secure storage success” presumably in reference to public health and prevention efforts to encourage cannabis consumers to utilize lock boxes at home.  Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Health Promotion Coordinator Linda Graves was scheduled to offer the presentation, but the event was no longer advertised at publication time.
  • DOH YCCTPP staff were responsible for developing the warning signs about asserted risks of “High-THC Cannabis Products” for prominent display at all retail points of sale.
  • DOH YCCTPP staff also requested far more funds to implement HB 1066, the WSLCB Data Dashboard bill, than WSLCB itself.  In addition to requesting 0.5 full time equivalent (FTE) staff, the fiscal note indicated a goal of enhancing DOH operations more broadly than DOH YCCTPP which “would be impacted and required to provide information associated with [the] program's efforts to prevent and deter use of cannabis, cigarettes, tobacco products. Access to data indicators outlined within the bill will enable multiple programs throughout PCH (e.g., YCCTPP, Comprehensive Cancer, Oral Health, and others) to employ data-driven, evidence-based strategies to reduce the burden of diseases and disparities related to the use of regulated substances.”

WA Senate TRAN - Committee Meeting

On Thursday at 4pm PT, the Washington State Senate Transportation Committee (WA Senate WM) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Work Session
    • "Impaired driving impacts."
  • Public Hearing
    • SB 5067 - Alcohol BAC Limit and DUI
      • WA Senate TRAN would be the second policy committee to hear public comment on the legislation in that chamber, testifying to the far reaching impacts and momentum of the bill.

Friday January 31st

WA Pharmacy Commission - Legislative Review

On Friday at 12pm PT, the weekly Washington State Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (WA Pharmacy Commission) Legislative Review was scheduled to recur.