On Tuesday at 1:30pm PT @ WSLCB, the agency planned to convene the Cannabis Advisory Council for its third meeting in 2019.
- The Cannabis Advisory Council (CAC) is an appointed body which serves as a primary public interface between WSLCB leadership and the regulated community. Board Member Ollie Garrett serves as the executive sponsor and Chair of the CAC.
- This year, the agency has acted to diversify representation on the CAC beyond trade associations and a consumer representative. Prior to the last meeting in July, Garrett appointed Mark Ambler as a representative of tier 1 producers and Aaron Bossett from the Black Cannabis Commission. Prior to this meeting, Garrett appointed Lukas Barfield as a medical cannabis patient representative following advocacy for representation from the patient community.
- The meeting agenda includes two primary topics: a fifteen minute update on the agency’s response to the vaping associated lung injury health scare, and discussion of the upcoming legislative session. Staff will provide an update on the agency’s request legislation, which was last publicly discussed on December 4th. It’s likely that the agency will have heard back from the Office of the Governor on the approval or denial of their two request bills to establish a fledgling social equity program and address a mishmash of patient and small producer concerns. Moreover, the agency planned to provide time in the hopes that CAC members would be forthcoming about their own legislative agendas.