Board members prepared to open rulemaking on cannabis testing requirements and medical products, and will hire a staffer to update licensee demographic information.
Here are some observations from the Tuesday August 7th Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) Board Caucus.
My top 3 takeaways:
- The Board intends to open rulemaking on cannabis testing requirements and medical products (transcript, audio).
- Sufficient momentum has developed around the subject of pesticide testing of adult-use products to open rulemaking. Policy and Rules Coordinator Joanna Eide has been speaking to Colorado and Oregon cannabis regulators to learn about their pesticide testing protocols.
- In addition and closely related, the Board intends to explore what they can do within their authority to adjust the market for medically-compliant cannabis products in Washington state.
- Board Member Russ Hauge recently met with The Cannabis Alliance Executive Director Lara Kaminsky and licensees who produce medically-compliant cannabis products to talk about what WSLCB can do to improve medical cannabis policies. Hauge found packaging, potency, and quantity changes could be undertaken by the Board unilaterally. Changes to taxation or the patient registry will require legislative action (transcript, audio).
- The CR 101 to open rulemaking was approved at Wednesday’s Board Meeting.
- The Board Office will be hiring a limited-duration employee to update the WSLCB’s licensee demographic information (transcript, audio).
- The Board has approved a hire to research licensee demographic information that could shed light on diversity questions about the 502 industry.
- Chair Jane Rushford suggested that previous work on this subject could be updated.
- In preparation for her retirement, Washington State Office of the Attorney General (OAG) Senior Counsel Mary Tennyson and Assistant Attorneys General Bruce Turcott and Geoff Allen visited to describe the new delegation of responsibilities (transcript, audio).
- Senior Counsel Tennyson: “Bruce is designated as lead counsel to the Board. Geoff is your advisor for the final order process we use and anything related to, to cases that come for you. I’m at this point retaining responsibility for contracts and public records, although the contract part of it, I’m really basically turning that over to [Assistant Attorney General] Elizabeth Lagerberg.”