The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) rejected eight cannabis-related rulemaking petitions today, including seven seeking new accessibility standards for the state’s mandatory reporting system and one calling for emergency action over alleged problems with cannabis traceability.
The petitions were submitted by six individuals between July 20 and July 31. Seven sought rules establishing accessibility standards for the Cannabis Central Reporting System (CCRS) to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), while the eighth requested emergency rulemaking to address alleged public health and safety risks involving CCRS and the state’s cannabis traceability system.
CCRS is the platform Washington cannabis licensees use to report information related to production, inventory, laboratory testing and sales. The system has been used for cannabis traceability since 2021.
In materials prepared for Wednesday’s meeting, LCB staff recommended denying all eight petitions, arguing that they were the same or substantially similar to requests the board previously rejected in May and June.
The seven accessibility petitions sought various actions involving CCRS, including enforceable accessibility standards, accommodations for individuals with disabilities and procedures governing the system’s use in enforcement actions.
LCB staff said an accessibility review conducted by the agency’s Communications Office found that CCRS “currently meets basic functionality required by ADA.” The agency’s Information Technology Services division is also developing a roadmap to bring CCRS into compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards that take effect April 24, 2027.
Staff argued that incorporating accessibility requirements into cannabis licensing regulations would be redundant because federal and state laws already establish accessibility standards for government agencies.
The eighth petition sought emergency rules based on alleged deficiencies in cannabis traceability and CCRS that the petitioner said posed public health and safety risks.
LCB acknowledged that a 2025 Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee study and a 2024 State Auditor report identified limitations with CCRS. The agency said it continues to make improvements to the system.
LCB also completed a feasibility study in 2025 and asked lawmakers to fund a standalone cannabis traceability and reporting system to replace CCRS. That funding request was not included in the state budget.
Staff said rulemaking would not resolve the software problems raised by the petitioners and argued that concerns about replacing or improving CCRS would be more appropriately addressed through the Legislature.
The agency noted that it received 17 rulemaking petitions between March 19 and July 31, with most seeking the same or substantially similar outcomes. Staff recommended denying all 17.
“Staff believe the appropriate approach to addressing the petitioner’s concerns related to software and systems is to explore the matter through the legislature,” the agency said, adding that changing regulations would not produce the requested improvements to CCRS accessibility or traceability reporting.
Petitioners argued that because CCRS is the mandatory system cannabis businesses must use to meet reporting requirements and maintain their licenses, the state should ensure it is fully accessible to people with disabilities and provide accommodations when barriers arise. They also argued that licensees should not face enforcement actions for reporting problems caused by accessibility limitations outside their control.
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