Washington State Department of Health
(DOH)

Staff shared rulemaking progress including upcoming outreach events, a new petition on cannabis testing results, and a timeline for implementing social equity legislation.

The board approved the start of a rulemaking project on retail medical endorsements, heard a status report on social equity applicants, and impressions of an ongoing prevention summit.

A researcher presented a new WTSC survey on peoples’ behaviors and impressions of Washington state traffic, with several responses pertaining to cannabis use and driving.

Licensees gave another round of feedback to agency staff engaged in rulemaking on how to set limits and requirements for cannabis product sampling by retail staff.

As the WSLCB Board recovered time lost to illness, Traffic Safety Commission members would consider survey data on driving behaviors, including perceptions of “drug influenced” drivers.

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.

A second workshop to get responses to draft lab accreditation rules dealt with questions about the costs and process behind DOE staff taking over lab authority from WSLCB.

A mostly new team at the DOH Medical Cannabis Program solicited feedback on potential revisions to rules on compliant products, testing, labeling, and logos.

A legislative briefing outlined expected topics in 2024; a policy and rules update touched on work groups, rulemaking, and staffing; the recently-hired director kept his “internal” focus.

Willing avoidance of increased transparency and unexplained delays characterized important cannabis-related policymaking events in the week beginning on September 11th.