The Washington State Health Care Authority (WA HCA) purchases health care for Medicaid eligible Washington residents and public employees. The agency also procures funding for the development and implementation of substance use treatment and prevention programs with the intention of "integrating physical health and behavioral health services for better results and healthier residents."
Washington State Health Care Authority
(WA HCA)
Public
Observations
WA House RSG - Committee Meeting
(February 6, 2023) - HB 1595 - Public Hearing
A bill creating cannabis tax tiering received supportive testimony and many neutral suggestions from industry representatives welcoming a new conversation on product taxation.
WA House RSG - Committee Meeting
(February 2, 2023) - HB 1641 and 1642 - Public Hearing
Bills to restrict cannabis concentrates had the support of some health officials and an anti-legalization group, but industry members and a consumer advocate tagged them “prohibition bill[s]."
WA Legislature - Update
(February 2, 2023)
Six cannabis bills were up for initial hearings or executive action on Thursday morning and the committee schedule for the following week was published listing activity on eight cannabis bills.
The Week Ahead
(January 30, 2023)
Hearings on WSLCB THC legislation, cannabis waste, advertising, low dose products, patient arrest protections, local override, home grow, and the fate of concentrates were all scheduled.
WA Legislature - Update
(January 27, 2023)
Senators heard supportive testimony on a bill addressing retail theft and four new bills were prepared for introduction, including two targeting concentrated cannabis products.
WA Legislature - Update
(January 25, 2023)
Republican representatives were poised to introduce a bill to radically revise the excise tax structure by THC concentration after the public weighed in against taxing patients.
The Week Ahead
(January 23, 2023)
Legislators continued to undertake cannabis bills slowly, especially in the senate, but perennial subjects like out-of-state ownership had been positioned for consideration.
WA House COG - Committee Meeting
(December 2, 2022) - UW ADAI Work Session
Informed by a small survey of stakeholders, a researcher producing a legislative report recommended officials reduce the availability and use of high-concentration cannabis products.
WTSC - Commission Meeting
(October 20, 2022) - Improving and Understanding Poly-Drug Information
Commissioners heard how methodology changes to improve the identification of poly-drugged driving incidents revealed significant historical overreporting of cases involving cannabis.
UW ADAI - Symposium - 2022 - Exploring Solutions - Addressing the Risks of High THC Cannabis Products
(September 16, 2022) - Perspectives of Washington Stakeholders
The principal researcher responsible for organizing the high THC cannabis symposium and delivering the policy report presented their findings from surveys of recruited stakeholders.