Two New Cannabis Laws Signed By Gov. Inslee
Written by Neil Juneja, Founder & Managing Partner at Gleam Law, PLLC.
Governor Inslee recently signed two new laws concerning cannabis. The first, HB 1462, aims to make the cannabis edibles business just another boring food business by subjecting it to general food regulations under the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). The second, HB 1250, allows cannabis retailers to sell lockboxes for cannabis product storage in addition to cannabis and paraphernalia.
Here is a little more on what these two laws will do:
HB 1462: The “Edibles Are Food” Law
- Allows the Washington Department of Agriculture (WSDA) to make new regulations regulating marijuana edibles as “food”
- WSDA cannabis edible regulations must be consistent with existing WSLCB and Department of Health regulations
- Marijuana is not legally an “adulterant” in a food product otherwise produced in compliance with the law
- WSDA may levy penalties against marijuana producers for regulatory violations
- Marijuana producers must apply annually for a food processor business license endorsement from the WSDA
- WSDA will notify the WSLCB of any regulatory violations they discover during inspections and may revoke a food processing enforcement for a violation of WSLCB regulations
- WSDA business license endorsement application fee will be $895
- This law will become effective April 1, 2018
HB 1250: The “Lockbox” Law
- Allows licensed marijuana retailers to donate or sell “lockable boxes” to their customers, so long as the donation is not contingent on a minimum purchase of any other item
- Allows retail outlets to receive lockboxes as a donation from any entity that is not another licensed marijuana business
- Lockboxes may not be sold by a licensed retailer for less than the acquisition price
