Washington State Health Care Authority
(WA HCA)

As legislators sought perspectives on contemporary cannabis policy issues and regulators willingly shared, a group of publicly-funded prevention researchers kept their doors closed.

Staff went over how cannabis tax revenue had been spent, offered comparisons to other states, and recommended transparency improvements while fielding lawmaker questions.

WSLCB staff planned to ask board members to begin rulemaking efforts on Retail Medical Cannabis Endorsements and to expand the Social Equity Program as encoded in SB 5080.

Presenting a report on cannabis health and safety outcomes, staff detailed patterns and limitations in their data as board members asked about the findings and future WSIPP studies.

Board members heard a few rulemaking updates before reflecting on the development of the Research Unit and the impending departure of a rulemaking and research leader at WSLCB.

Senate cannabis policy committee members planned to convene an interim work session on biometric age verification while the WSLCB board hosted regularly scheduled meetings.

In Oregon and Washington, land grant university and federal agricultural scientists invited the public to tour experimental fiber and grain hemp fields to learn about contemporary research.

A campaign focused on reducing youth cannabis use and impaired driving was getting positive results according to the program manager who presented and answered questions.

Cannabis regulators from across the country planned to meet behind closed doors with selected external stakeholders before private labs met to discuss quality standards outlined by the State.

Lawmakers were briefed on the continued evaluation of I-502, including the most recent implementation report and an overview of the 2023 report on how cannabis revenue was spent.