2022 Legislative Session Comes to a Close

The regular Washington State Legislative Session adjourned on March 10, 2022. The LCB had a variety of notable achievements this session. Among the bills passed included cannabis testing laboratory standards, reorganization of the dedicated cannabis account statute, changing terminology in legislation from “marijuana” to “cannabis,” and continued liquor license fee reduction for select licensees.

Additionally, the finalized budget includes a number of requests from LCB. The fiscal impact of approved legislation has also been fully funded. Although no legislation on the Social Equity in Cannabis program was approved this session, the budget includes a proviso making $500,000 available to the LCB for contracting with a third party to prioritize social equity applicants.

Cannabis Testing Laboratory Standards Passed (HB 1859)

One of the LCB agency requested bills was HB 1859, which was jointly requested by LCB and the Department of Agriculture. The bill implements a revised accreditation program for cannabis testing labs, put together by four state agencies. Chris Thompson, Director of Legislative Relations, said that this bill passing almost unanimously was a huge success for the agency and ensures quality for a crucial segment of the cannabis industry.

“Businesses cannot operate without testing labs,” Thompson said. “Cannabis has to be tested before it can to go retail for sale to the public. It’s a portal through which every producer and processor has to pass to get their product to market.”

The bill was approved in the House 97–1, then unanimously approved by the Senate Policy Committee. The bill was amended to change the funding source for costs associated with the new lab testing program from the Dedicated Marijuana Account to the state’s General Fund. Another amendment was added when the bill reached the Senate floor to shift the language in legislation from “marijuana” to “cannabis.” The bill then passed the full Senate 46–2. It went back to the House for concurrence with the Senate amendments, which was approved 96–2, sending the bill to the Governor’s desk.

Changing Language from “Marijuana” to “Cannabis”

Gov. Inslee signed into law HB 1210 on March 11, 2022, which changed the word “marijuana” to “cannabis” throughout state statutes. The LCB will be using expedited rulemaking to implement the same change throughout Title 314 of the Washington Administrative Code, which was at the request of LCB last session. The Senate approved the bill 41–8 on March 1, as the final step in passing the legislature. During the bill signing ceremony, Gov. Inslee offered some brief remarks about the language shift, acknowledging “marijuana” has “a racist history in the United States. It was used in anti-immigrant rhetoric in the early 20th century.” The governor suggested the change “signals that we acknowledge the history of that language that targeted communities of color.”