Washington's 2025 legislative session came to a close on April 27. Lawmakers in Olympia spent the first four months of the year debating a handful of cannabis-related issues, and we now know which will become law and which will wait at least another year.
Two of the five bills on the 2025 docket successfully made it through the Legislature.
House Bill 1141 was signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson on April 22. When it goes into effect on July 27, agricultural workers in Washington's cannabis industry will be afforded the collective bargaining rights already enjoyed by other industries in the state.
Agricultural workers who participate in the cultivation, growing, harvesting or production of cannabis will fall under the purview of the state's Public Employment Relations Commission. As such, any collective bargaining agreements or labor disputes will have a state agency as a mediator and enforcer of the law.
Among HB 1141's sponsors were Spokane Reps. Timm Ormsby and Natasha Hill.
Senate Bill 5403 also made it through and, as of press time, was sitting on the governor's desk awaiting his signature.
As passed, the legislation differs dramatically from the original bill.
The main thrust of the original version of SB 5403 was to establish a legal pathway for cannabis producers and processors to sell cannabis directly to consumers. This was welcome news for smaller producers who are often priced out of the state's limited retail market by larger producers.
SB 5403 advanced after two substitutions completely removed that provision from the text of the legislation. The bill as passed contains no mention of direct-to-consumer sales.
Instead, it aims to limit financial agreements and consolidation among retail licensees. Licensees, as well as "other persons or entities with a financial or other ownership interest," are capped at holding no more than five retail licenses collectively. Each license allows for one retail store.
While this will not benefit small producers as much as the original bill intended, SB 5403 should in theory help foster competition within the retail market by limiting retail consolidation.
Three other bills weren't as successful.
A bill to legalize homegrown cannabis died in committee for the second consecutive year. Another bill that would have paved the way for regulated on-site cannabis consumption failed to make it to a vote, and another bill concerning regulations on where cannabis businesses can be located passed one committee before dying in a second. ♦
