Lawmakers in Washington have introduced a piece of bipartisan legislation designed to permit cannabis deliveries, amending 69.50 RCW, the state’s Uniform Controlled Substances Act.
On Monday, Representative Steve Kirby [D] introduced HB1358 which was co-sponsored by Sherry Appleton [D], Brandon Vick [R], and Brian Blake [D]. The bill received its first reading and was referred to the House Commerce & Gaming Committee.
Voters opted to legalize adult-use cannabis in 2012, but deliveries were not permitted under the law.
Until SB5131 passed in 2017, sharing cannabis was still considered a felony and came with a potential five-year prison sentence. The sale of seeds and cannabis plants to medical cannabis patients aged eighteen and older also became legal under SB5131.
HB1358 would permit licensed recreational cannabis deliveries to customers over the age of 21 at their home, hotel, motel, boarding house, or other place of temporary or permanent residence. The bill requires that the person who places the order be the same one that receives it when it arrives.
The bill instructs the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board to establish a cannabis delivery endorsement fee based on the costs of administering the program.
If the Washington legislature passes the HB1358 and Governor Jay Inslee signs it into law, it will go into effect on July 1, 2019.
