A House committee in Washington State held a public hearing today on legislation that would transfer cannabis regulatory and licensing activities to the department of agriculture. A potential vote is scheduled for next week.
House Bill 2334 was filed last week by State Representative Kristine Reeves along with four bipartisan cosponsors. Today the House Committee on Regulated Substances & Gaming held a public hearing on the measure, with an executive session and potential vote scheduled for January 25.
If passed into law, the measure would transfer “the responsibilities of the Liquor and Cannabis Board for the regulation and licensing of the production, processing, and testing of cannabis and cannabis products to the Department of Agriculture.
Washington legalized marijuana in 2012, tying Colorado as the first state to do so. The initiative approved by voters renamed the Washington Liquor Control Board to the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Control Board, putting the entity in control of regulatory and licensing oversight of the new marijuana industry.
HB 2334 would change this by putting oversight in the hands of the Department of Agriculture. Proponents of the legislation say this is an appropriate evolution, given marijuana is an agricultural product.
The full text of the proposal can be found by clicking here.
