The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) aims to develop programs and services to help prevent illness and injury, promote healthy places to live and work, provide information to help people make good health decisions, and ensure Washington state is prepared for emergencies.
Washington State Department of Health
(DOH)
Public
Observations
WSLCB - Board Meeting
(January 3, 2024) - Summary
A rules update acknowledged more delays in some projects before public comments showed a divide on the fairness of social equity licensing and questioned cannabis research topics.
The Cannabis Alliance - Town Hall - DOH Medical Cannabis Program
(December 7, 2023) - Summary
DOH staff heard stories and suggestions from patients, advocates, and other stakeholders on how to improve affordability, access, and understanding of medically compliant cannabis products.
WSDA - Public Hearing - Cannabis Testing Lab Quality Standards
(December 28, 2023) - Summary
Lab representatives and other stakeholders pointed out discrepancies, redundancies, and costs related to proposed lab quality standards leading staff to ultimately choose to rework the rules.
WSLCB - Board Meeting
(December 20, 2023) - Summary
Updates to a more than five-year-old tribal compact, a rulemaking petition, and general public comments were on the agenda for the final board meeting of 2023.
WSLCB - Executive Management Team
(December 14, 2023) - Summary
Agency leaders went over what they anticipated dealing with in 2024, including “high-THC” regulations, lab accreditation authority, medically endorsed stores, and social equity applicants.
WA House RSG - Committee Meeting
(December 5, 2023) - Work Session - Cannabis Laboratory Testing and Pesticides
Lawmakers looked into how funds had been spent to help producers affected by contaminated soil and heard about a potential “service gap” in lab accreditation expected in July 2024.
WSLCB - Board Caucus
(December 5, 2023) - Summary
An experienced toxicologist and epidemiologist joined the Policy and Rules team, plus updates on a rule petition and already open rulemaking projects.
WA HCA - DBHR Listening Session
(November 28, 2023) - Five-Year Strategic Plan
WA HCA staff presented the newest strategic plan for substance use disorder prevention and mental health promotion, touching on the history, goals, and groups that created the plan.
The Week Ahead
(December 4, 2023)
As legislators sought perspectives on contemporary cannabis policy issues and regulators willingly shared, a group of publicly-funded prevention researchers kept their doors closed.
DOE - Webinar - Accreditation of Cannabis Laboratories - Public Workshop
(November 29, 2023) - Summary
Staff laid out changes in the latest lab accreditation rulemaking draft, including a lower cost of implementation and a waiver process around in-matrix proficiency testing.