Washington Releases First Regulations Regarding Legalized Marijuana Industry

It's been nearly eight months since Washington voters legalized marijuana, and now they finally have a few rules in place regarding their new legalized marijuana industry. Last fall, Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize the sale of marijuana to adults over the age of 21. This historic moment, however, means that Washington and Colorado must pioneer the way for the new legalized marijuana movement and this requires putting the appropriate laws and regulations in place.

These new recently released regulations are based on hundreds of hours of internal research and deliberation. The staff at the state Liquor Control Board spent many hours visiting marijuana growing houses and studying the science behind what affects marijuana potency and how people get "high". They consulted with multiple industry experts and obtained input from over 3,000 individuals statewide. The board hopes that by creating a tightly regulated system, they can ensure that both large and small marijuana operations have a place in this emerging marijuana market.

Some of the new regulations are:

·         No sale of marijuana extracts allowed (such as hash)

·         All pot related businesses must have security systems and 24 hour surveillance

·         Any marijuana product sold would carry a label stating that this product may be "habit forming"

·         Marijuana will be tracked from seed to store

·         There will be a cap on the number of retail stores in each county

·         No cap will be placed on the number of licensed growers or processors

·         A criminal history point will be used in determining eligibility to grow, sell, or process pot

·         Criminal and financial background checks will be obtained on all financiers of pot businesses