Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee
(WA Senate WM)

As the 2022 Washington state legislative session began on Monday, 12 cannabis-related bills had been pre-filed for introduction and 7 would be reintroduced from 2021.

On short notice, two speakers offered supportive remarks on legislation allowing CBD as a cannabis additive before committee passage, sending the bill unchanged to the floor hours later.

Repercussions from a court ruling which struck down state drug possession laws came into focus for lawmakers through sharply divided testimony around a proposed legislative response.

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.

Several cannabis bills portend some controversy on their way through the next cutoff on Friday, where a mysterious work session on “the future of the cannabis industry” awaited.

Senators amended legislation exempting registered medical cannabis patients and designated providers from the State excise tax, requiring a sunset date and a review of marketplace effects.

3 cannabis-related bills could join 9 others already through Monday’s cutoff deadline, and WSLCB planned to open a rulemaking project to reconsider the criminal history point system.

Of 19 bills closely tracked, five were out of committee and seven were scheduled for action this week - including new bills to limit cannabis concentrates and a drug decriminalization bill.

SB 5004, legislation providing an excise tax exemption for patients registered with the state, drew largely supportive testimony which contested the accuracy of the fiscal note.