Washington State Department of Health
(DOH)

After DOH representatives provided a brief background, two patients, a medical consultant, and a consultant trainer offered feedback on proposed changes to consultant certification rules.

Given two proposed substitutes on a bill to regulate cannabinoids, almost the entire committee voted for a more limited version to get some cannabinoid products off the shelves and study the issues.

A last-minute hearing on a repackaged bill to regulate synthesized cannabinoids revealed shared public health concerns but testimony otherwise remained just as sharply divided.

Staff briefed on a bill with complex changes to recommended cannabis tax appropriations before testimony emphasized benefits for transparency, social equity, and local governments.

Testimony on a bill to exempt registered medical cannabis patients from the excise tax on DOH compliant products was supportive and elicited several questions from lawmakers.

As the timeline for legislation became more compressed, committees crammed bills for action - while the WSLCB cannabinoid regulation bill was granted a second chance to NTIB.

A bill to grant all medical cannabis patients protection from arrest received almost entirely positive testimony, along with complaints about homegrowing and cannabis scheduling policy.

Testimony on legislation to revise regulation of cannabinoids emphasized policy pitfalls versus prospective benefits, and hinted at fiscal fallout from litigious hemp industry interests.

A joint request bill to establish an interagency cannabis lab standards team was wholeheartedly supported by representatives of the agencies which drafted the legislation.

Prevention interests spoke favorably of a bill to form a “behavioral health prevention and equity impact framework” at WSLCB, but the appearance of unbalanced representation raised concerns.