Observations

The board heard about implementation of legislation and possible request bills; social equity applications; lab authority transfer; plus updates on medical endorsements and hiring.

WSLCB leaders introduced two concepts for 2024 request legislation, one for medical patients to contract with licensees; another to revise limits around cannabis retail advertising.

Legislators and agency staff were preparing for the shorter 2024 legislative session where organized retail crime and patient concerns would figure amidst cannabis related policymaking.

The intention of staff to replace CCRS with a traceability system was questioned by board members, who next learned about the new staff and portfolio for the in-house research office.

With DOE staff moving forward on cannabis lab accreditation rulemaking, they explained the expected timeline for draft rules and heard feedback about the costly implications for labs.

Federal substance abuse regulators planned to promote concerns about CBD, Ecology staff prepared to accredit private labs, and the WSLCB revealed 2024 request legislation proposals.

A congressional committee heard how lack of federal rulemaking on CBD and hemp products contributed to endangering consumers through sale of unsafe hemp-derived cannabinoid products. 

Lab participants would get a glimpse of rulemaking procedure at the Department of Ecology and the Cannabinoid Science Work Group planned to convene under the WSLCB Research Unit.

In Oregon and Washington, land grant university and federal agricultural scientists invited the public to tour experimental fiber and grain hemp fields to learn about contemporary research.

A longtime employee was recognized, staff were working with the equity scoring vendor on acceptable documentation, and stakeholders wanted the agency to learn from past traceability efforts.