Washington Finally Gets Adult-Use Cannabis Sales Underway

Back in November 2012, Washingtonians voted in favor of
Initiative 502 (“I-502”), marking the beginning of the end of cannabis
prohibition in the State.

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That victory, however, began to lag when I-502 applicants
faced the tough and lengthy regulatory process set forth by the Washington
State Liquor Control Board to obtain an I-502 license. Rigorous and expensive
regulatory standards fueled frustration among applicants as some of those
regulatory rules often appeared (and continue to appear) difficult to meet and,
at times, illogical. I-502 has now been codified at RCW 69.50 and WAC 314-55
for anyone interested in an overview of those rules.

In addition to strict State standards, applicants were (and
are still) having to deal with pushback from local governments. While lawsuits
are pending to determine a city’s or county’s ability to ban I-502
establishments within their borders, applicants were forced to press on with
their State applications or run the risk of forfeiting their State licenses. For
applicants in jurisdictions with bans, this means that, to satisfy the State,
those applicants still have to undertake expensive build-outs and purchase
equipment without any security from their banning city or county that they will
actually be permitted to open their doors for business.

Despite the demanding regulatory scheme and continuing legal
struggles, on July 7, Washington finally stared down the grand opening of its
new, regulated cannabis marketplace for adult use with 24 licensed retailers in
place. On July 8, a handful of licensed dispensaries began selling cannabis for
adult use. And, as a result, everyone should feel free to breathe a sigh of
relief.

Why?

Because despite the anxieties caused by starting a new
business in a new regulatory sphere and/or having to pay anywhere between $10
to $25 per gram, this is the beginning of the future of cannabis reform and it
is a bright one right here in Washington’s backyard.

All adults finally have legal access to cannabis for the
first time in history in Washington State. And all adults can finally access
cannabis without threat of arrest or prosecution in Washington State. And
licensed entrepreneurs can finally sell, promote, and distribute cannabis to
all adults in Washington State without threat of arrest or prosecution from
State authorities.

Ultimately, these are huge civil rights victories that
culminated with the opening of Washington cannabis retail storefronts this July.
More importantly, Washington is helping to chip away at the Federal
government’s unfair and ineffective War on Drugs. Washington is a pioneer as
well as a great democratic cannabis experiment and, of these things,
Washingtonians should be proud.