D-Day For Next Round Of Rules

Rumors are swirling. We are forty-five minutes from the second meeting the Washington Liquor Control Board, LCB, regarding the almost final rules for the growing, processing and sale of recreational use cannabis in Washington State. The LCB is the state agency responsible for implementation of Washington’s citizen passed law, I-502 to allow the personal, adult use of cannabis.

If the board gets through today’s meeting without a fracas, and sees no need to further amend the rules, what is call a CR 102 will be drafted and the state’s adult citizens might actually get to walk into a retailer and buy some cannabis by this time next year.

Here’s The Chatter

Key changes we at Cannabis Wire are watching include:

1. A formula for determining the distances from public facilities (parks, schools, libraries, etc.) It sounds like a “common path” not “as the crow flies” may be adopted.
2. There will be some cap on retailers and producer licenses per jurisdiction
3. Watch for a tiered license scheme: 0-2K sq. feet growing area, 2K-10K, and 10K -30K
4. And finally, the rules will allow some provision for extracts (requested by many). This will include provisions for extracts and the popular vaporizers.
5. And, just to prove we are still looking at cannabis through the old liquor platform, we have been told that the total number of retail stores will be about the same as the old state owned liquor stores. Some formula for allocation will involve largest cities in each county.

Read ’em And Weep

With the inclusive, deliberate approach of the LCB, very few people should be whining this afternoon. But let’s wait and see what is in the final sauce.

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