Observations

Only two cannabis-specific bills were passed before the end of the 2021 Washington state legislative session; we speculate about factors in play during a complex and busy interim.

Over Republican opposition, the committee approved a striking amendment on legislation to re-criminalize drug possession with reduced penalties while expanding prevention and treatment offerings.

No one spoke in favor of a bill re-criminalizing drug possession and expanding treatment diversion programs; critics said it reinstituted prohibition while government advocates stressed the costs of implementation.

Senators debated a legislative response to the State v. Blake decision and adopted a striking amendment making possession of controlled substances a misdemeanor, creeping further back towards criminalization of public health concerns.

Details about WSLCB involvement in a federally coordinated police raid raised new questions about the agency’s engagement in the drug war, and revealed threats against one board member.

The hemp processor bill was signed into law, likely followed by the social equity bill - but the future of drug policy in Washington state was on a strange trip aboard SB 5476.

The new WSLCB Chair provided more expansive remarks during a public introduction to Cannabis Advisory Council representatives whose comments varied from friendly to confrontational.

In addition to a rulemaking review, the meeting featured several public comments from cannabis farmers concerned about the impact cannabinoids derived from hemp CBD were having in the state’s cannabis market.

After a ‘hemp’ amendment was withdrawn, legislation swapping the term ‘marijuana’ for the term ‘cannabis’ in State statute was passed by committee members - and still could become law.

The attorney general’s office described the “strict scrutiny” standard federal courts applied to laws utilizing race-based criteria and how that related to the work group’s development of social equity program applicant criteria.