During the last full week before the opposite house policy committee cutoff on Wednesday March 29th, legislators would consider all 14 cannabis-related bills that remained clearly active.
Here’s a look at cannabis-related policymaking events on the calendar in the week ahead.
Monday March 20th
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.
- [ Event Details ]
- Public Hearing
- Executive Session
WA House RSG - Committee Meeting
On Monday at 1:30pm PT, the Washington State House Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee (WA House RSG) was scheduled to convene.
- [ Event Details ]
- Executive Session
- SB 5080 - "Expanding and improving the social equity in cannabis program."
- On Tuesday March 14th, legislators asked for additional information during testimony on the bill to expand the social equity program before an unscheduled WSLCB panel joined the hearing to field questions.
- At publication time, there were no published amendments on the bill.
- SB 5367 - “Concerning the regulation of products containing THC.”
- On Monday March 13th, committee members heard testimony in favor, opposed, and ‘other’ while seeking suggestions on THC levels for hemp products after the Senate decided any amount of THC was too much.
- On Wednesday March 15th, leadership of the WA House RSG removed a planned executive session on the WSLCB THC bill from the agenda for their Thursday morning meeting, later rescheduling it for Monday March 20th.
- Late in the afternoon on Friday March 17th, legislative staff published a proposed substitute to SB 5367 by Representative Kristine Reeves which was described as having the following effects:
- (1) Adds a definition of the term "hemp consumable" to hemp statutes. Defines the term as a product that is sold or provided to another person, that is: (a) Made of hemp; (b) not a cannabis product; and (c) intended to be consumed or absorbed inside the body by any means, including inhalation, ingestion, or insertion.
- (2) Modifies the proposed change to the existing definition of the term "cannabis products" in the Uniform Controlled Substances Act (UCSA), so the definition would include any product intended to be consumed or absorbed inside the body by any means including inhalation, ingestion, or insertion, with any detectable amount of THC (instead of with any amount of THC).
- (3) Also excludes products that are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration from the definition of the term "cannabis products" in the UCSA.
- (4) Removes the proposed new definition of "tetrahydrocannabinol" or "THC," and the proposed change to the existing definition of "isomer" in the UCSA.
- (5) Prohibits synthetic cannabinoids from being used as additives in cannabis products, instead of requiring the label on a cannabis product package to include the amount of any synthetically derived CBD in a product.
- (6) Prohibits the production, processing, manufacturing, or sale of any cannabinoid that is synthetically derived or completely synthetic, except for products approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
- (7) Adds a severability clause.
- SB 5080 - "Expanding and improving the social equity in cannabis program."
- Public Hearing
Tuesday March 21st
WSLCB - Board Caucus
The weekly Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) Board Caucus was cancelled.
- [ Event Details ]
WA Senate LC - Committee Meeting
On Tuesday at 10:30am PT, the WA Senate LC was scheduled to convene.
- [ Event Details ]
- Executive Session
- HB 1772 - “Prohibiting products that combine alcohol and tetrahydrocannabinol.”
- Previously scheduled for Thursday March 23rd, the executive session on the cannabis infused alcohol ban bill was moved forward on Thursday March 16th.
- At publication time, there were no published amendments on the bill.
- HB 1563 - “Concerning arrest protections for the medical use of cannabis.”
- On Friday March 17th, the executive session on the patient arrest protection bill was also moved forward from its originally scheduled date on Thursday March 23rd.
- At publication time, there were no published amendments on the bill.
- HB 1772 - “Prohibiting products that combine alcohol and tetrahydrocannabinol.”
WA House LAWS - Committee Meeting
On Tuesday at 10:30am PT, the Washington State House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee (WA House LAWS) was scheduled to convene.
- [ Event Details ]
- Executive Session
- SB 5123 - “Concerning the employment of individuals who lawfully consume cannabis.”
- On Tuesday March 14th, members of the WA House LAWS hosted a public hearing on SB 5123, legislation seeking to end the discriminatory practice of pre-employment drug testing for state legal cannabis use.
- At publication time, there were no published amendments on the bill.
- SB 5123 - “Concerning the employment of individuals who lawfully consume cannabis.”
WA House RSG - Committee Meeting
On Tuesday at 4pm PT, the Washington State House Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee (WA House RSG) was scheduled to convene.
- [ Event Details ]
- Executive Session
- SB 5340 - “Regarding limits on the sale and possession of retail cannabis products.”
- At publication time, there were no published amendments on the bill.
- SB 5405 - “Modifying the liquor and cannabis board's subpoena authority.”
- As policy committee work on bills from the opposite chamber got underway on Monday March 13th, the WA House RSG skipped a planned executive session on the WSLCB subpoena authority bill.
- At publication time, there were no published amendments on the bill.
- SB 5340 - “Regarding limits on the sale and possession of retail cannabis products.”
- Public Hearing
- SB 5363 - “Concerning cannabis retailer advertising.”
Wednesday March 22nd
WSLCB - Focus Group - Product Samples
On Wednesday at 1:30pm PT, a WSLCB Focus Group on the Product Samples rulemaking project was scheduled to occur.
- [ Event Details ]
- On inquiry, WSLCB staff indicated they did not plan to record this event and preferred that Cannabis Observer not do so either. At publication time, we were not planning to observe this event.
WA Senate LAW - Committee Meeting
On Wednesday at 6pm PT, the Washington State Senate Law and Justice Committee (WA Senate LAW) was scheduled to convene.
- [ Event Details ]
- Executive Session
- HB 1066 - “Making technical corrections and removing obsolete language from the Revised Code of Washington pursuant to RCW 1.08.025.”
Thursday March 23rd
WA House RSG - Committee Meeting
On Thursday at 8am PT, the Washington State House Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee (WA House RSG) was scheduled to convene.
- [ Event Details ]
- Executive Session
Friday March 24th
WA Pharmacy Commission Legislative Committee - Public Meeting
On Friday at 12pm PT, the Washington State Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission Legislative Committee (WA Pharmacy Commission Legislative Committee) was scheduled to convene their weekly public meeting.
- [ Event Details ]
WA Senate WM - Committee Meeting
On Friday at 2pm PT, the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee (WA Senate WM) was scheduled to convene.
- [ Event Details ]
- Public Hearing
- SB 5187 - “Making 2023-2025 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.”
- In prior legislative sessions, leadership of the Senate fiscal committee and the Washington State House Appropriations Committee (WA House APP) closely coordinated efforts to compose voluminous omnibus legislation describing the operating budget appropriations for the entire state government for the following two fiscal years.
- The meeting announcement indicated the “Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute which includes the 2023 supplemental budget.”At publication time, the proposed substitute bill language had not been published.
- SB 5187 - “Making 2023-2025 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.”