Washington State Department of Agriculture
(WSDA)

The board was presented with a rulemaking petition on packaging and three on social equity license mobility; they approved updates for medical cannabis endorsements and heard public comments.

State interest in better cannabis education for budtenders and consumers came up when officials briefed board members on a survey conducted between 2023 and 2024.

Panelists representing regulators and licensees in Washington and elsewhere weighed in on issues and challenges affecting innovation in the cannabis sector before taking questions.

After a full week of WSLCB board activity, the Cannabis Alliance planned to host the ninth annual Washington State Cannabis Summit to engage with contemporary cannabis issues.

Efforts to draft improved cannabis testing and additive rules drew skepticism and questions from attendees worried about testing standards, synthetic cannabinoids, enforcement, and more.

Staff went over a reorganization at WSDA including hemp and cannabis programs; the transition of lab standards and accreditation authority; plus tips for hemp licensees.

The final pre-proposal focus group on the 2023 THC bill rulemaking was scheduled for Thursday, yet several addressable issues remained detectable after ten months of effort.

Cannabis rulemaking was reviewed, including specifics on implementing a patient excise tax exemption at endorsed stores, and a new survey of social equity program applicants.

As the WSLCB Policy and Rules team jettisoned previously planned public engagements to accommodate backlogged work, WSDA staff would review their expanding cannabis programs.

In his final bill signing, Governor Jay Inslee offered hope Washington would continue to prosper under a supplemental budget with rates of cannabis spending largely the same as 2023.