Washington State Department of Health
(DOH)

Several cannabis sector stakeholders talked with the board about their concerns and opportunities during a discussion marking the tenth anniversary of the passage of I-502.

Agency leaders met the new Director of Legislative Relations then heard reports on their legislative agenda, social equity, medical endorsements, hiring, work groups, and CCRS.

Board members denied a petition on use of customer ID data, rescinded an interim traceability policy, and heard public comments about the promised social equity retail program.

Task force members discussed drafting their report due to the legislature on December 1st before talking about what cannabinoid limits they’d recommend for hemp in food.

Presentations on public health surveys by researchers from Canada and Oregon gave the board insight into how Washington’s system compared to other legal cannabis jurisdictions.

Task force members appointed the second new co-chair in two months, heard about 2023 request legislation, then discussed and approved final recommendations from work groups.

Task force members tweaked work group recommendation language and planned for an additional meeting before their advice would be formatted for lawmakers.

The chair of the WA House cannabis policy committee commented on her background as well as legislative concerns and strategies she expected to hear during the 2023 session.

The task force received an overview of cannabis extraction and product formulation processes and heard status reports from two work groups as an October 31st deadline drew near.

Two work groups presented draft recommendations to the full task force covering product scope and requirements, as well as definitions for ‘hemp extract’ and classification of cannabinoids.