The Week Ahead
(March 10, 2024)

WSLCB - Product Samples - WA EEB - Ethics - City of Lynnwood - DOH - Medical Cannabis

As the legislature raced ahead, other entities would be addressing product samples, medical cannabis, the retail ban in Lynnwood, and a new ethics policy at WSLCB.

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

Monday March 10th

See the WA Legislature Update for Monday March 10th for more details on the day’s events. 

WA House - Session

On Monday at 9am PT, the Washington State House of Representatives (WA House) was scheduled to convene a floor session.

WA Senate - Session

On Monday at 10am PT, the Washington State Senate (WA Senate) was scheduled to convene a floor session.

Tuesday March 11th

WA House - Session

On Tuesday at 9am PT, the Washington State House of Representatives (WA House) was scheduled to convene a floor session.

WA Senate - Session

On Tuesday at 10am PT, the Washington State Senate (WA Senate) was scheduled to convene a floor session.

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 ]
  • While forty minutes had been scheduled to discuss "Board Efficiencies" at the Tuesday March 4th caucus meeting, Chair Jim Vollendroff instead briefly introduced the topic as a prelude to a longer discussion at the next caucus meeting.  He framed the subject within the larger context of a new State executive administration and specifically mentioned his intent to address meeting frequency and content (audio - 2m, video - WSLCB, video - TVW).

Wednesday March 12th

WA House AGNR - Committee Meeting

On Wednesday at 8am PT, the Washington State House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee (WA House AGNR) planned to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • Work Session
    • "Introduction to the Washington Policy Center’s Agriculture and Natural Resources-Related Research."
      • The Washington Policy Center (WPC) describes itself as “an independent, non-profit think tank that promotes sound public policy based on free-market solutions” through “high-quality, non-partisan, evidence-based research to advance policy solutions for a better Washington state.”
      • The WPC Center for Agriculture is described as putting "the knowledge and experience of those who work the land at the center of agriculture policy by using free-market incentives and local solutions. This new Initiative encourages policymakers to reduce the burden of excessive and unproductive regulation on family farmers and taxpayers."
      • WPC Center for Agriculture Research Director Pam Lewison, also the Grant County Farm Bureau President and Washington CattleWomen’s Association President, penned unabashedly opinionated articles for the WPC including “Two bills offer gateway drug to farmworker unionization in WA” on January 16th—the day after the public hearing on HB 1141 (Cannabis Production Unions) and the day before the hearing on HB 1067 (Cannabis Producer Authority Transfer)—specifically about those two bills.  Setting aside the indefensibly catchy title, the article was sadly filled with half-truths and errors intended to amplify a stated concern:
        • “If cannabis were governed as an agricultural product, workers in the cultivation, processing, packaging, and sale of cannabis would be considered agricultural or farm workers. A change in worker status would pave the way for the unionization of “cannabis farmworkers” proposed in HB 1141. This legislative proposal seems to be a test of how acceptable farmworker unions in general would be to our state.”
      • At publication time, WA House AGNR was chaired by Representative Kristine Reeves—the prime sponsor of HB 1067—and her Vice Chair was Representative Melanie Morgan, who co-sponsored HB 1067 and introduced HB 1941 (Cannabis Producer Cooperatives) to WA House AGNR members on February 18th.  Both have been advocates for legislation which seeks to address the generational harms of the war on drugs which disproportionately targeted communities of color, inclusive of the historical and sadly on-going stigmatization of cannabis and the people who cultivate the plant.

WA House - Session

On Wednesday at 9am PT, the Washington State House of Representatives (WA House) was scheduled to convene a floor session.

WA Senate - Session

On Wednesday at 10am PT, the Washington State Senate (WA Senate) was scheduled to convene a floor session.

WSLCB - Board Meeting

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

  • [ Event Details ]
  • CR-103
    • SB 5376 Implementation [ Rulemaking Project ]
    • Minors on Wholesale Licensed Premises [ Rulemaking Project ]
      • While previously mentioned as a likely candidate for adoption of final rules on Wednesday, multiple public discussions with board members preceding and following the public hearing indicated that a supplemental CR-102 may be necessary to substantially revise the proposed rules.
  • Public Hearing

WA HCA PRC - Quarterly Meeting

On Wednesday at 10:35am PT, the Washington State Health Care Authority Prevention Research Collaborative (WA HCA PRC) planned to host its quarterly meeting.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • The WA HCA PRC, formerly the Washington State Health Care Authority Prevention Research Subcommittee (WA HCA PRSC), provides a forum for prevention researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to identify and address emerging and evolving substance use disorder prevention and mental health promotion service and research needs in Washington state.  Cannabis Observer sought out and was granted constrained access to the meetings of the Collaborative.
  • According to the agenda, participants planned to focus on problem gambling and finalize a revision of the Collaborative’s mission statement.

WSLCB - Executive Management Team

The monthly WSLCB Executive Management Team (EMT) meeting was cancelled.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • While agency leadership rescheduled the previous information-packed EMT meeting to February 26th, they opted to cancel the March meeting outright.
  • In 2024, the monthly EMT meeting was cancelled five times, limiting the visibility of agency operations from both the public and board members themselves.

WA Legislature - House of Origin Cutoff

On Wednesday at 5pm PT, the Washington State Legislature (WA Legislature) would achieve the third cutoff gateway.

  • Legislation must be calendared, scheduled on an order of consideration, potentially amended, debated, and passed during a chamber floor session before 5pm on Wednesday to continue beyond the House of Origin cutoff of the 2025 regular session.
    • There are exceptions.  Legislation can be designated “necessary to implement budgets” (NTIB) by chamber leaders to exempt it from the regular rules of order, loosely interpreted to mean a bill has been projected to have a measurable fiscal impact.
    • See the Cannabis Observer 2025-26 biennium landing screen for a complete list of cannabis-related and -adjacent legislation being tracked.
  • The next gateway, the Opposite House Policy Committee Cutoff, would occur on Wednesday April 2nd at close of business.

Thursday March 13th

DOH - Webinar - Medical Cannabis Workshop

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

  • [ Event Details, Rulemaking Project ]
  • During the last workshop in October 2024, a long running rulemaking project got fresh feedback on a draft from those in the medical cannabis sector, but staff were no closer to being able to forecast completion of their work.
  • The announcement indicated, “we will cover a second draft for quality assurance/quality control testing and labeling. This is our last planned workshop on the rule language, as this will complete a 2nd draft review for all sections of the rule.”
  • On Thursday March 6th, DOH staff published a job listing for a Cannabis Program Manager.

City of Lynnwood - Planning Commission - Meeting

On Thursday at 6:30pm PT, the City of Lynnwood Planning Commission planned to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • In September 2024, Lynnwood City Council Member George Hurst introduced a motion requesting that the Lynnwood Planning Commission research and offer a recommendation to allow cannabis retail stores to locate within the City by March 31st.  The motion was approved 4-3 and reproduced in the meeting minutes:
    • “Moved by George Hurst that the Lynnwood City Council direct the planning commission to conduct a thorough review of the current zoning limitations and restrictions pertaining to retail cannabis within city limits. The planning Commission is further directed to develop a comprehensive set of recommendations that would amend the city's zoning code and regulations to allow for the establishment of retail cannabis stores in designated zones. These recommendations should assume the end of the current ban on retail cannabis within the city of Lynnwood, and they must be presented to the city council no later than March 31st 2025 for further consideration.”
  • City staff briefed the planning commission on February 13th, where members asked about topics like advertising, zoning, and public safety.
  • City staff followed up on Thursday February 27th with responses to commissioner questions and offered multiple zoning recommendations.
  • On Thursday, WSLCB Licensing staff were scheduled to present background on the social equity program to the planning commission before commissioners planned to endorse a draft recommendation to the City Council.
  • The draft recommendation would then be presented to the Lynnwood City Council, likely at their Monday March 24th meeting and likely after having undergone review and discussion during their work sessions the week prior.

Friday March 14th

WA Senate LC - Committee Meeting

On Friday at 8:30am PT, the Washington State Senate Labor and Commerce Committee (WA Senate LC) was scheduled to convene.

WA EEB - Board Meeting

On Friday at 9am PT, the Washington State Executive Ethics Board (WA EEB) was scheduled to convene.

  • [ Event Details ]
  • The Washington State Executive Ethics Board (WA EEB) “enforces the Ethics in Public Service Act, RCW 42.52. The Board has jurisdiction over statewide elected officials and state employees in the executive branch; including boards and commissions and institutions of higher education. Board members as well as staff are dedicated to improving the public's confidence in state government by ensuring that state officers and state employees conduct themselves with the highest ethical standards and they conduct the state’s business in a manner that advances the public’s interest.”
  • On Friday, board members were scheduled to review and potentially approve a new WSLCB policy regarding “Ethical Conduct and Outside Employment.”
  • When contacted by Cannabis Observer, WA EEB Executive Director Kate Reynolds replied, “Under WAC 292-120-035, the Board may review and approve agency policies related to the Ethics in Public Service Act. If approved, under WAC 292-120-035(1), the Board will not impose sanctions for conduct that would violate the Ethics in Public Service Act, if the conduct at issue was permitted under a board-approved agency policy. The Board’s review is limited to whether the policy is in accordance with the Ethics in Public Service Act.”
    • WAC 292-120-035(1) also stipulates that sanctions would not be imposed if the agency policy were approved by the WA EEB “prior to the conduct occurring.”

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.