Washington State Office of the Governor
(WA Governor)

Staff gathered input on draft conceptual rules for the agency social equity program which included many criticisms of the proposal - and heard opposition to the underlying equity project.

The Governor shared his thoughts on the supplemental budget before signing it; the measure created two hemp task forces, a community reinvestment fund, and other cannabis-centric changes.

The Governor signed a bill which changed non-binding cannabis revenue appropriations and mandated a study of those expenditures by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee.

The governor signed the only non-controversial cannabis bill of the 2022 session into law, setting regulators up to form an interagency coordination team responsible for lab standards.

Licensees, legislators, and lobbyists talked about a wave of retail robberies which had increased in frequency in 2022, examining banking, training, and other possible solutions and mitigations.

State leaders planned to publicly engage with selected cannabis retail stakeholders to draw attention to the need for federal banking reform to help mitigate robberies before more people were hurt.

The governor acknowledged the racist legacy of using the term ‘marijuana’ in reference to the plant before signing a law to use the word ‘cannabis’ in state statute and rules instead.

Given two proposed substitutes on a bill to regulate cannabinoids, almost the entire committee voted for a more limited version to get some cannabinoid products off the shelves and study the issues.

A hearing on social equity legislation provoked largely favorable testimony, peppered with repeated questions and comments about proposed buffer zones changes for retailers.

New task force members were welcomed, followed by a review of recommendations already made and those still needed, then a vote to continue one work group and start up three others.