Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board
(WSLCB)

With some calls for additional data or formatting changes, testimony in a hearing on legislation to set up a WSLCB data dashboard was largely supportive.

Representatives had too much to chew on from their Tuesday hearings, WSLCB leadership discussed legislative positions, and five bills could potentially be moved in Senate Rules.

Legislation to alter a planned transfer of cannabis lab accreditation authority was broadly praised by the sponsor, agency leaders, and cannabis sector stakeholders. 

By the end of Tuesday, Representatives tasked with oversight of the adult-use cannabis market were scheduled to have heard five bills and considered moving two in the first days of the week.

10 cannabis-related bills were scheduled for action during the second week of the 2024 session beginning on MLK Jr. Day, as regulators tracked implications in their scopes of authority.

Leadership went over the first legislative briefing of 2024, including active bills and possible amendments, then heard about social equity applicants, education, staffing, and tribal updates.

Legislation on hemp extract as a food ingredient and a bill to shift authority from WSLCB to WSDA were ready for introduction, and substance use penalty language caught our attention.

Co-sponsors flocked to new legislation, WSLCB leadership discussed two active bills, a new high-THC bill was readied, and committee schedules for the following week were published.

A bill to make cannabis business bans the purview of voters rather than their elected officials drew pushback from local government interests and support from an industry stakeholder.

Cannabis waste legislation was advanced, another hemp bill may be on the way, the first cannabis-related bills were heard, and two new bills were scheduled for introduction.