Washington State Department of Agriculture
(WSDA)

In its initial public hearing, legislation to set requirements for CBD additives from outside the 502 system received mostly negative comments from those concerned it could hurt farmers and patients.

As a social equity task force work group began considering how to distribute $3.62M in grants, another task force prepared to disband, leaving cannabis science under the care of regulators.

Governor Inslee signed the biennium operating budget which appropriated cannabis excise tax revenue and other general fund tax dollars among more than a dozen agencies.

Policy and Rules Manager Kathy Hoffman walked the board through the past, present, and future of WSLCB regulation of cannabinoids aside from delta-9-THC in legal cannabis products.

After a ‘hemp’ amendment was withdrawn, legislation swapping the term ‘marijuana’ for the term ‘cannabis’ in State statute was passed by committee members - and still could become law.

With no proposed amendments to legislation forming a hemp processor registry and hemp extract certification, lawmakers offered a final pitch on the bill’s benefits for the hemp sector, securing not quite unanimous approval.

There was no opposition from committee members to recommending a bill which would establish a voluntary hemp processor registration, a hemp extract certification, and limited authority for WSLCB to test hemp.

Legislators would take the week to debate, amend, and vote on legislation from the opposite chamber - but the list of active cannabis-related bills had grown shorter.

As budget activity ramped up, fiscal committees undertook the last week for consideration of most policy legislation - and several cannabis-related bills remained unscheduled at the start.

WSLCB Director Rick Garza requested time to update lawmakers ahead of a committee work session on the future of the cannabis industry to share regulator priorities and disclose new agency work groups.