Washington CannaBusiness Association
(WACA)

Board members adopted revisions to pesticide action level rules, planned to begin “hybrid” in-person and virtual events the following week, and heard public comments on retail licensing.

With continued advocacy from Washington CannaBusiness Association members, the council approved a motion to create a cannabis business security task force in King County.

The committee heard about a motion to create a cannabis security task force to address robberies in the area, amending wording and scope before recommending it to the full council.

Legislative leaders of cannabis policy committees talked about a few successes in 2022, and the more numerous failures around medical cannabis, equity, and cannabinoid regulation bills.

After rulemaking and legislative updates, Chair David Postman had a lot to say about committee changes to the last moving cannabinoid regulation and enforcement bill - none of it flattering.

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.

Four synthesized cannabinoid regulation bills had been introduced after cutoff, cannabis-related amendments were in the operating budget, and new QC rules were imminent.

The agency’s top lobbyist reviewed legislative activity, diving deeper into a new cannabinoid regulation bill and work to salvage components of unsuccessful social equity legislation.

Committee members heard positive testimony on a bill to increase penalties for cannabis retail robberies, and asked questions about the frequency of incidents and other solutions.