Liquor board announces dates for marijuana rules

The Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) issued dates on June 11 for filing its recreational marijuana draft rules.

Tuesday was the deadline for collecting public input on the first cut of draft rules that were released on May 16. While the initial written comments on the rules were relatively light, the agency received extensive written comments over the weekend and throughout Monday from public and private organizations.

“In keeping with our goal of an open and transparent process for drafting the rules, we’re going to take an additional two weeks to consider the last-minute input we’ve received,” said WSLCB Director Rick Garza. “The Board was prepared to issue the rules on June 19. However, it’s our responsibility to carefully review and consider the comments we received.”

On June 19, the board will hold a work session on its proposed rules. The official draft rules will be filed with the state Code Reviser on July 3. The board will then hold a public hearing on the draft rules on August 7, and on August 14, the board will adopt the rules.

September 14 is the effective date for the rules and the date on which WSLCB will begin accepting applications for all license types.