WASAVP testifies against alcohol bills

This morning, the Washington Senate Commerce and Labor Committee held a pubic hearing about two alcohol-related bills:

• SB 5644: Concerning sales for resale by retail licensees of liquor.
• SB 5731: Allowing beer and/or wine specialty shop licensees to sell craft distillery products.

WASAVP provided testimony against both bills, as did a few alcohol business interests.

Recording of Liquor Control Board forum in Vancouver now available

A recording of the Washington State Liquor Control Board's public hearing in Vancouver about the implementation of I-502 is now available to watch via YouTube.

Senate Health Care Committee conducts work session about marijuana policy

On February 4, the Washington Senate Health Care Committee held a work session about I-502 and medical marijuana. 

At the very beginning of the work session, Rick Garza and other staff from the Liquor Control Board and Alison Holcomb from the ACLU provided an overview of I-502.  Senator Keiser asked questions about preventing underage marijuana use. 

The Committee then heard testimony about:

• SJM 8000: Requesting that the Drug Enforcement Administration reclassify medical marijuana as a Schedule II drug.
• SB 5528: Concerning the medical use of cannabis.

WASAVP testifies about alcohol-related bills

Another legislative session is well on its way and, as in previous years, many bills have been introduced to further deregulate alcohol in our state.  Yesterday, the Washington Senate Labor and Commerce Committee met and discussed multiple alcohol-related bills (listed below) and WASAVP provided testimony.



SB 5045: Allowing day spas to offer or supply without charge wine or beer by the individual glass to a customer for consumption on the premises.

SB 5111: Creating a beer and wine theater license. (Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute.)

SB 5607: Concerning beer, wine, and spirits theater licenses.

SB 5238: Concerning recommendations for streamlining reporting requirements for taxes and fees on spirits.

SB 5261: Prohibiting certain liquor self-checkout machines.

SB 5303: Concerning the identification of wineries, breweries, and microbreweries on private labels.

SB 5310: Creating a senior center license.

SB 5396: Concerning limited on-premise spirits sampling.

SB 5517: Changing the criteria for the beer and wine tasting endorsement for grocery stores.

SB 5628: Allowing multiple liquor licenses at the same physical premises.

SB 5674: Allowing wine and beer sampling at farmers markets.

To find more information about a specific bill, go to http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo.  

Legislature considering multiple alcohol-related bills

As a recent Spokesman-Review blog post notes, "Getting a drink of alcohol in a movie theater, a farmer's market, even a senior center or a massage (spa), would be easier under a series of proposals considered Monday by a Senate panel."   

After describing the proposed bills, the post goes on to quote two WASAVP Board members.

"Having a glass of wine after a massage, then getting in a car and driving sounded like a really bad idea to Mary Ellen Dela Pena of the Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention.  Many of the proposals would expand the need of the already stretched thin Liquor Control Board to do 'compliance checks', to make sure these new locations were following laws on not over serving or allowing minors to be present, she added."

"There's a creep in society about the number of localities where alcohol is served," Derrick Franklin, president of the association, said.  That means fewer and fewer locations where children can go and not be exposed to alcohol consumption." 

A list of proposed bills related to alcohol and other drugs is available on the WASAVP website.

Public Safety Committee learns about marijuana and impaired driving

Yesterday, the Washington State House Public Safety Committee hosted a work session about marijuana and impaired driving.  Agenda items included:

1. Marijuana and impaired driving in the post I-502 world.

2. General overview of I-502: What is legal? What is still illegal?

3. Driving under the influence of marijuana: From the roadside to the courthouse.

4. Enforcement protocols and prosecution of driving under the influence of marijuana.

5. The science of cannabis and impaired driving.