2022 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

Regulate Synthetic Cannabinoids

The Craft Cannabis Coalition (CCC) strongly supports the Liquor and Cannabis Board's requested legislation (HB 1668 and SB 5547) to regulate synthetic cannabinoids, such as delta-8 THC. We believe that if these cannabinoids remain unregulated it serves to undermine the market as whole and puts consumer safety at risk.

Create Safer Cannabis Retail Stores

Over this past year, there has been an alarming amount of robberies at many cannabis retail stores in the state. Our members especially seen a spike in armed robberies, which puts our employees at risk of being severely injured. This is unacceptable. Cannabis stores are at particular risk due to the gray area of cannabis's legal status between the state and federal levels. The CCC will be pursuing legislation to help curb these armed robberies and ensure cannabis retail stores and our employees are protected.

Promote Social Equity

CCC strongly supports meaningful industry representation from minority communities disproportionately harmed by prohibition and the War on Drugs and believe that promoting diversity and reducing harm should be a priority within the Washington State cannabis industry. We have strongly urged the legislature and the industry to create reinvestment into communities disproportionately impacted and open pathways to capital so our friends and neighbors can build up any business or organization they want, not just in cannabis. We hope to continue leveraging our industry experience and regulatory insight to help support the long-term efficacy and success of social equity endeavors.

Prevent Vertical Integration/Direct Sales

The CCC is adamantly opposed to vertically integrating Washington State's cannabis industry. Without a separation between production and sales, a door is open for large, multi-state, corporate businesses to step in and disrupt the very local essence of Washington’s cannabis industry. Such a policy fundamentally breaks away from the long-standing arrangement of Washington's cannabis industry and only subverts a key aspect of the cannabis industry, the retailers, and creates a dangerously unfair regulatory structure. Our members have long been in strong compliance with current regulations and are steadfast supporters of ensuring the integrity and preservation of the regulatory structure that the voters of our state approved by statewide election. It is prudent for the industry and policymakers to keep the will of the voters at the forefront of the conversation

Out of State Ownership

Fundamentally, the CCC is not opposed to out of state ownership. Cannabis retailers, and businesses at large, have long faced an overly burdensome road to access to capital resources. Out of state investment into stores and possible ownership could be part of the solution to change that. However, there must be a set of guardrails around this issue that would ensure no new licenses were created, no new canopy was created, and vertical integration is still disallowed. The CCC supports the development of the cannabis industry and would support thoughtful approaches to out of state ownership.