Washington State House Appropriations Committee
(WA House APP)

The first substantial cannabis legislation was passed by the Senate, home grow was heard in its fiscal committee, and four cannabis bills were positioned for executive sessions on Thursday.

Inclusion of civil infractions in a bill to allow home growing of cannabis carried costs for state and local governments, and a police association lobbyist explained her group’s new position of ‘other.’

The medical cannabis patient excise tax exemption bill made it through the fiscal committee gateway whereas home grow legislation was getting a late start, but was positioned to proceed.

After fiscal committee work and announcement of schedules for the remainder of the week before cutoff, only two of 22 active cannabis bills appeared at risk of being left behind.

With 22 of 34 cannabis-related bills through the initial house of origin policy committee gateway, the fiscal committees took over - and four bills appeared to have uncertain futures.

Three cannabis proposals were advanced during the committee’s final executive session before a crucial legislative deadline, and members had questions for a social equity bill sponsor.

The WRAP Act was further unwrapped, fiscal committee schedules for the following week were announced, and the House cannabis policy committee had a full agenda ahead of the Friday cutoff.

Four more bills made it through the house of origin policy committee gateway while fiscal committees ramped up activity in the sprint before the first cutoff deadline on Friday.

After granting themselves additional time before the house of origin policy committee cutoff on Friday, legislators still had lots of work to do - and many cannabis bills would be left behind.

Senators heard mixed testimony after mixing the hearings on two very different bills, home grow encountered a hitch in the House, and the WRAP Act would be unwrapped in Appropriations.