Washington State Health Care Authority
(WA HCA)

Governor Inslee signed the biennium operating budget which appropriated cannabis excise tax revenue and other general fund tax dollars among more than a dozen agencies.

Governor Inslee signed a legislative response to a court case which invalidated the state drug possession statute, and lawmakers allotted more than $172 million to address the ruling.

This week would include interesting events covering a broad spectrum of cannabis-related topics including social equity, behavioral health, delta-8-THC, and substance use prevention.

The Washington state Governor was scheduled to take action on the operating budget for the upcoming biennium, endorsing or vetoing fiscal appropriations for many government activities.

Policy and Rules Manager Kathy Hoffman walked the board through the past, present, and future of WSLCB regulation of cannabinoids aside from delta-9-THC in legal cannabis products.

In concurring with revised legislation to re-enact drug possession offenses while expanding treatment and recovery offerings, lawmakers positioned Washington state to move away from a punitive approach to issues of drug use while further dismantling the so-called war on drugs.

House lawmakers shared personal accounts of how drug use had impacted their lives while deeply amending Senate legislation to re-enact drug possession offenses.

Only two cannabis-specific bills were passed before the end of the 2021 Washington state legislative session; we speculate about factors in play during a complex and busy interim.

Over Republican opposition, the committee approved a striking amendment on legislation to re-criminalize drug possession with reduced penalties while expanding prevention and treatment offerings.

No one spoke in favor of a bill re-criminalizing drug possession and expanding treatment diversion programs; critics said it reinstituted prohibition while government advocates stressed the costs of implementation.