Legislation enacted in 2017 directs the WSLCB to “conduct a study of regulatory options for the legalization of marijuana plant possession and cultivation by recreational marijuana users.”

In conducting this study, the Legislature directed the WSLCB to consider the federal guidelines under the Cole Memorandum issued by the United States Department of Justice on August 29, 2013, which allows individual states to implement marijuana legalization policies, provided such states enact strong and effective regulatory and enforcement systems that address public safety, public health, and law enforcement concerns as outlined in the memorandum.

Pursuant to the above referenced enactment, the WSLCB is providing findings and recommendations. The WSLCB considered many options from tightly regulated approaches to no regulations but ultimately dismissed any considerations not consistent with the Cole Memo.

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