Ever since cannabis was legalized for recreational use in Washington, all you could read about in the press was regulations this, regulations that. Various speculations emerged on how D.C. will handle this relatively recent business venture. How will it protect children and restrict their access to weed? How will dispensaries behave in the upcoming months? Will outdoor growing be permitted? A myriad of related questions, were asked by the public, the officials and even the Washington State’s Liquor Control Board. The latter is responsible for the implementation of monitoring of those regulations. The public had been heard, a lot of questions seemed to be answered in the process and some of the public input actually managed to find its way into the regulations themselves. A public hearing will be held between August 6th and August 8th and the final regulations are likely to be adopted by August 14th. However, the regulations will not be in full effect until September 16th.
Here’s a couple of regulation highlights:
a) First, for those of you who can’t wait to grow a plant outdoors, rest assured, you will be allowed to do so. However, in order not to provoke your neighbors or provoke criminal activity, you will have to surround your plants with an 8-foot wall. That’s not really a bad idea. Hell, you could even plant it in your own back yard.
b) In order to obtain a license to both grown and sell marijuana, you would need to be a resident of Washington for at least 3 months. That will prevent a lot of drug dealers from entering the state for the sole purpose of smuggling marijuana out of it. Undoubtedly, the smugglers will eventually find a way to circumvent this regulation but for now, it will serve as a cautionary regulation.
c) The best thing about these regulations is the quality control of cannabis being distributed and sold. All grown cannabis will be required to get tested for molds, pesticides, fungus and THC levels before being sold. As much as we love this regulation in particular, we can’t help but wonder what levels of pesticide and fungus would be allowed? Or do the regulations exclude the sale of marijuana if even a tiny bit of fungus and pesticide is found in it?
d) Advertising of cannabis businesses is allowed under one condition. You are not allowed to target minors. We are a bit divided on this regulation because it will be hard to control advertising efforts that indeed target minors and advertising agencies will work hard to avoid being sued yet reach the teen audience. After all, teens are the leading group of marijuana users in the U.S.
e) Labeling of the product is supposed to be strict and accurate, clearly detailing the compounds in the marijuana itself as well as its THC and CBD levels. The information stated on the label has to be the result of a 3rd party lab test.
f) And last but not least, tourists will be allowed to purchase and consume cannabis.
There are more regulations on the list so if you need detailed information on the content of those regulations, please click HERE.
