Washington State Office of the Governor
(WA Governor)

Seated alone in compliance with his own social distancing orders, Governor Jay Inslee signed two bills into law which expand WSLCB and DOH cannabis regulatory authorities.

With the close of the legislative session and restrictions on public movement tightening against the spread of COVID-19, cannabis policymaking appeared set to slow if not pause altogether.

The SBOH renewed their emergency rule against use of vitamin E acetate in vapor products and expressed concern about prospects for SB 6254, the Governor’s vapor product legislation.

The Senate fiscal committee passed HB 2826, WSLCB’s cannabis vapor products bill, as well as SB 6254, DOH’s vapor products bill which had been repeatedly brought “back to life.”

Agency leadership heard a briefing on cannabis-related legislation still active and otherwise, including both agency requests and bills introduced by other stakeholders.

New details on the WSLCB’s legislative agenda, a Regulators Roundtable redux, plus an update on testing labs, the traceability contract, and the Hillard Heintze report.

On Tuesday at 1:30pm PT @ WSLCB, the agency planned to convene the Cannabis Advisory Council for its third meeting in 2019.

Agency leadership heard a substantial legislative update in the run up to the 2020 session and hints about the agency’s shifting vision of cannabis supply chain traceability.

Board members reported the Tribal Advisory Council was poised for demotion, the Cannabis 2.0 project had lost momentum, and vapor product regulation continued to cloud the horizon.

The State Board of Health voted to adopt emergency rules implementing a prohibition on the sale and distribution of nicotine and cannabis vapor products containing vitamin E acetate.