Today was a significant step forward for marijuana legalization in Washington State. The Washington State Liquor Control Board gave preliminary approval to the rules that will govern marijuana legalization in Washington. The world is watching how the rules will play out, to see if they work or if they need to be improved on. Below is the press release from the Washington State Liquor Control Board regarding the changes that were approved today:
On July 3, 2013, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) filed proposed rules with the state code reviser (CR 102). The Board held five public hearings across the state and solicited public input on its proposed rules. Based on public comments, the Board chose to revise its rules. The Board will file revised rules on September 4, 2013 (Supplemental CR 102).
Below are the top revisions (no particular order) that the LCB has made to the rules based on public input and continued research and discussion.
Production Limits
- Added language that limits the total amount of marijuana to be produced at 40 metric tons
- Added language that sets the maximum amount of space for marijuana production at two million square feet
Production Tiers
- Added language that creates three production tiers based on square footage:
- Tier 1 – less than 2000 square feet
- Tier 2 – 2000 to 10,000 square feet
- Tier 3 – 10,000 to 30,000 square feet
Market Control Limits
- Limited any entity and/or principals within any entity to three producer or processor licenses.
- Limited any principal and or entity to no more than three retail licenses with no multiple location licensee allowed more than 33 percent of the allowed licenses in any county or city
Click here to read the rest of the rules, including a cap on retail outlets at 334 (sorry, formatting was a nightmare).
