Washington’s liquor control board approves rules for marijuana industry

The Washington Liquor Control Board has approved proposed rules for the state’s marijuana industry, which if enacted, will help govern production, processing, and retail sales of recreational marijuana.

“Public safety is our top priority,” said Board Chair Sharon Foster. “These rules fulfill the public expectation of creating a tightly-regulated and controlled system while providing reasonable access to participation in the market.”

There were several changes to the preliminary rules that were released in May. The biggest change is to allow outdoor marijuana grows, rather than limit production to indoors. Marijuana growers will be allowed to keep a small amount of their pot.

The board has also removed a requirement for marijuana sellers to get an affidavit from their landlord giving them permission to sell pot on the premises.

The rules are scheduled to take effect Sept. 16 and marijuana sales should begin in early 2014, unless the Justice Department stops them. Pot remains illegal federally.

Four public meetings on the proposed rules will be held across the state Aug. 6-8. The locations are tentatively scheduled for Olympia, Seattle-area, Ellensburg, and Spokane.

The board says the rule-making process began soon after voters passed Initiative 502 in Nov. 2012. It first introduced draft rules on May 16 and sought public comment for about a month.

“We received quality input from local governments, law enforcement, industry members, the prevention community and many others that we incorporated and further improved the rules,” said Foster.

Key Public Safety Elements:

-All grows must meet strictly controlled on-site security requirements
-Strict surveillance and transportation requirements
-Robust traceability software system that will track inventory from start to sale
-Criminal background checks on all license applicants
-Tough penalty guidelines for public safety violations including loss of license
-Restricting certain advertising that may be targeted at children

Key Consumer Safety Elements:

-Packaging and label requirements including dosage and warnings
-Child-resistant packaging for marijuana in solid and liquid forms
-Only lab tested and approved products will be available
-Defined serving sizes and package limits on marijuana in solid form
-Store signage requirements to educate customers

KIRO Radio’s Kim Shepard and the Associated Press contributed to this report.