Washington State Legislature
(WA Legislature)

The hearing on production unions revealed complicated power dynamics around the legislation and four new cannabis-related bills were ready for introduction including out of state ownership and ESOPs.

Legislators heard their first cannabis-related legislation on Tuesday and planned to consider a bill on Wednesday which would empower employee collective bargaining at cannabis producers.

The regular session got underway with the introduction of legislation and a briefing on the budget; Tuesday would include the first public hearing of a bill in the new cannabis policy committee in the House.

In addition to the kickoff of the 2025 regular session, WSLCB board members planned to advance rulemaking and organic-equivalent cannabis could get another look at WSDA.

Four cannabis bills were primed for the regular session of the Washington State Legislature which began Monday under burdened conditions given new legislators, fiscal constraints, and national foreboding.

Legislative affairs, social equity, traceability, rulemaking, and the board’s role at WSLCB were among topics discussed at the first public meeting of agency leadership in 2025.

Two newly released data dashboards on cannabis use and revenue were highlighted by staff who explained their process, potential uses, and agency leaders’ plans for future dashboards.

Legislators planned to host work sessions in advance of the 2025 session which would occasion the final convening of the House Regulated Substances and Gaming Committee.

Officials and licensees alike moved to squeeze in policy-related meetings between the end of year holidays as pre-filing for the 2025-26 biennial state legislative session opened on Monday.

Implications of the 2024 election began to come into focus for agency leaders who received rulemaking updates before learning more about the unexpected departure of the board chair.