The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) announced yesterday the suspension of licenses held by North Coast Concentrates following the discovery of alleged product diversion by the license holder.
The WSLCB says it will “seek permanent revocation of the licenses.”
The alleged diversion was first discovered on September 20, 2018, when a North Coast Concentrates employee was pulled over by Lower Elwha Police, who discovered “three large jars and a large tote bin” of dried cannabis flower that had not been represented in the state’s traceability system. The officer also found 112 grams of traceable cannabis concentrates.
“Subsequent investigation by WSLCB officers revealed that the untraced product had been removed from the licensees grow operation and that the traced concentrates were returned from a marijuana retailer in Tacoma several weeks earlier. Seized text messages from the employee’s cellphone indicated that the licensee was aware of both the diversion and the selling of product on the black market.” — Excerpt from the LCB press release
Officers who executed the suspension orders seized 556 pounds of cannabis flower, 24 pounds of cannabis oil products, and 204 cannabis plants from the license holder’s two registered locations.
“Emergency suspensions represent an extraordinary exercise of the state’s power and the WSLCB is mandated to ensure that an emergency suspension is reasonable, justifiable and legal in every way,” the agency wrote.
Washington‘s adult-use cannabis marketplace launched in 2014. The WSLCB issued one emergency license suspension in 2017 and six in 2018.
A request for comment from North Coast Concentrates was not immediately returned; this piece will be updated if a response is received.
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