Washington State Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources, and Parks Committee
(WA Senate AWNP)

Legislation to reinforce vigilance over inversion and diversion was advanced, hemp in food was delayed, and legislators may not consider cannabis bills Wednesday until Senate calendaring.

After a particularly busy Monday for cannabis-related legislation in both the Senate and House, representatives were scheduled to move the inversion/diversion bill on Tuesday.

11 cannabis-related bills were scheduled for activity the week before the house of origin policy committee cutoff, as regulators closely followed to position and prepare accordingly.

Some legislators seemed eager to at least appear to be eager to earmark unapportioned cannabis excise tax revenue at the beginning of the third week of the 2024 regular session.

Senators passed the cannabis waste bill and revived out-of-state ownership; new tax bills were coming; the preliminary schedule was published; and 3 hearings were up Thursday morning.

Legislation on hemp extract as a food ingredient and a bill to shift authority from WSLCB to WSDA were ready for introduction, and substance use penalty language caught our attention.

Co-sponsors flocked to new legislation, WSLCB leadership discussed two active bills, a new high-THC bill was readied, and committee schedules for the following week were published.

Lawmakers reintroduced 2023 legislation, nudging one cannabis bill forward, and planned to introduce expansive new hemp processor legislation before hearing three cannabis-related bills.

A bill requiring accuracy in CBD labeling was welcomed by hemp stakeholders, but dissent centered on definitions cribbed from another bill and whether the legislation was necessary.

Policy committees rushed to recommend legislation ahead of the initial cutoff deadline on February 3rd, including bills on retail safety, cannabinoid regulation, and social equity.