Gov. Jay Inslee directed state officials to impose an emergency ban on flavored vaping products, one of several measures he announced Friday in response to the mysterious, sometimes fatal lung illness linked to e-cigarettes that has rippled across the nation. In an executive order, Inslee directed the state Board of Health to use its emergency authority […]
Washington
Washington state regulators have some marijuana reforms in mind
With half a decade of experience in regulating legal marijuana, officials in Olympia are ready to overhaul the state’s weed industry. Last week, in an interview with the Associated Press, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board Director Rick Garza outlined plans for what the board is calling “Cannabis 2.0.” The series of proposals, which will head […]
5 years in, Washington considers overhaul of pot regulation
SEATTLE — Five years after Washington launched its pioneering legal marijuana market, officials are proposing an overhaul of the state’s industry rules, with plans for boosting minority ownership of pot businesses, paving the way for home deliveries of medical cannabis and letting the smallest growers increase the size of their operations to become more competitive. […]
Washington Marijuana: Is the Residency Requirement Doomed?
By Daniel Shortt, Attorney at Harris Bricken On June 26, 2019 the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued a ruling in Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas invalidating a two-year residency requirement for Tennessee retail liquor stores. The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) has a similar six-month durational-residency requirement required […]
Emergency License Suspension Issued for Marijuana Producer Processor, The Evans Group, LLC
PRESS RELEASE OLYMPIA, WA 7/11/19 – The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) Tuesday issued an emergency marijuana producer/processor license suspension of 180 days for The Evans Group, LLC. The Evans Group is also registered under the trade names Evans Cannabis, Olympia Cannabis, Olympia Cannabis, LLC, and Vertigro. The suspension is effective until January […]
Washington Lawmakers Poised to Redefine the WSLCB’s Role in Washington Marijuana
By Daniel Shortt, Attorney, Harris Bricken Senate Bill 5318 is making its way through the Washington legislature and seems destined for Governor Jay Inslee’s desk. As of April 16, the bill had cleared both the Washington House and Senate. If signed into law, which seems increasingly likely, SB 5318 would drastically change the way the Washington State […]
Doing Battle With The Black Market in a Heavily Taxed State
By Rob Hendrix As discussed on previous occasions, I have operated an I-502 State legal retail Cannabis shop in Central Washington State, in my hometown of Ellensburg, since August 2014. In those very early days, the Black Market was chuckling at the total ineptitude and ineffectiveness of 502 and beyond any reasonable doubt kicking our collective backsides. Prices were crazy […]
The Evolution of a Regulatory Framework
By Rob Hendrix This is an article that attempts to deal with very real problems with the roll out of 502 in general and in particular how the evolution of the Washington state regulatory framework has been affected by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB), more typically today known as the LCB. First, a […]
Ten Washington Lawmakers Claim Liquor and Cannabis Board Has a “Toxic Culture”
The bipartisan group is calling on Governor Inslee to rescind the nomination of an agency board member. Washington’s weed regulator is in hot water after a bipartisan group of ten state lawmakers said in a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee that the agency has a “toxic culture” and called on the governor to rescind his […]
Gov. Jay Inslee offers pardons for thousands with misdemeanor pot convictions
Gov. Jay Inslee will offer pardons to thousands of people with misdemeanor marijuana convictions, in an effort to help them move on from minor criminal records that can hinder housing and job prospects. Under the plan, Inslee will pardon anyone who has an otherwise clean criminal record but with a sole conviction as an adult […]
Washington to ‘reevaluate’ marijuana edibles, crack down on products that might appeal to kids
Certain cannabis-infused candies could start disappearing from store shelves across Washington early next year. The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board announced during a meeting Wednesday that it will “reevaluate” all edible marijuana products in an effort to cut back on products that may be appealing to children. Washington state, which legalized recreational pot in […]
Seattle Court Vacates Marijuana Possession Convictions
Judges in Seattle have ruled to vacate misdemeanor marijuana possession convictions in the city between 1996 and 2010. The Seattle Municipal Court judges also agreed to dismiss any misdemeanor marijuana possession charges, according to the Seattle Times. The decision, unanimous by the court’s seven judges, could affect as many as 542 people. Marijuana possession by adults 21 […]
Despite Legalization, Marijuana Black Market Hides In Plain Sight
On a big-sky plateau on the eastern slope of the Cascades, a 10-acre parcel of land has been trashed by illicit pot farmers. Abandoned equipment rusts and jugs of chemicals molder. Marijuana legalization wasn’t supposed to look like this. Five years into its experiment with legal, regulated cannabis, Washington state is finding that pot still […]
Seattle To Dismiss Marijuana Possession Convictions Prior To Legalization
In an effort to bring “restorative justice” to communities that have been disproportionately affected by drug law enforcement, Seattle’s mayor and city attorney said Thursday that the city will move to dismiss marijuana possession convictions that were prosecuted before Washington state voted to legalize the drug. The state passed a measure in 2012 allowing adults age 21 […]
Here we go again, Can the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board Get anything Right?
Five days into the implementation of the new Leaf Data System Seed to Sale system in Washington State, things are progressing slowly and causing major business disruption for licensees in the state. On the I502 Google user group, licensees and their techs have shared information and potential solutions to implement the new solution as they […]
Regulatory Oversight Debacle Blows Up In Washington State
Recently, The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) announced that their new contract, seed-to-sale (SOS) system provider, MJ Freeway and its Leaf Data System, would not be able to meet the October 31st deadline to take over the service provided by the original contractor, BioTrackTHC. After announcing an arduous work around plan for licensees to […]
Washington State Sees Steep Decline in Marijuana Prices Since Legalization
All the diverse effects of legalizing recreational marijuana may not be clear for a number of years, but one consequence has become evident almost immediately: Pot has never been so cheap. Steven Davenport of the Pardee Rand Graduate School has analyzed marijuana retail prices in Washington state since legal recreational markets opened in July 2014. Remarkably, […]
Washington State County Commissioners Want to Allow Recreational Sales in Unincorporated Areas
YAKIMA, Wa. — Yakima County Commissioners on Tuesday are expected to approve an ordinance that places a measure on the November ballot asking voters whether marijuana businesses should be allowed in unincorporated areas of the county, where currently they’re not allowed. Commissioners were expected to make the decision during their 10 a.m. business meeting Tuesday, […]
