A public hearing on a bill which would extend arrest protections to all medical cannabis patients received wholly positive testimony and addressed questions from committee members.
Task force members recommended expanding the qualifying criteria for the social equity program to include race and opening the technical assistance grant program to current licensees and retail title certificate holders.
No one showed up to testify on proposed rules to implement HB 2826, but two public comments addressed hemp biomass in the 502 market and an upcoming deliberative dialogue session.
Among many subjects, agency leadership discussed the hiring of a new Director of Enforcement and Education, an interpretive statement on CBD product sales, and the social equity task force.
A diverse majority publicly testified against legislation to establish a Washington state cannabis commodity commission, although more individuals signed in support.
Six new relevant bills were introduced in the past week and several were already scheduled to be heard on local authority, social equity, and a cannabis commodity commission.
An extensive briefing by WSLCB staff on past cannabis business licensing windows provoked a lively Q&A on the prospective social equity program application process.
The committee heard a bill intended to remove the term ‘marijuana’ from use in state law due to its background as a way to imbue cannabis prohibition with racial and social bias.
WSLCB licensing staff would testify before the social equity task force the same week as an out-of-state ownership lawsuit proceeded while 11 cannabis-related bills made their way through the legislature.
Legislation to legalize home growing of cannabis in Washington State was advanced farther than prior years after House policy committee members unanimously voted to amend the bill to raise seizure and forfeiture limits, but the committee vote recommending the bill to their peers revealed two lawmakers held lingering concerns.
