Following heavy push back from the cannabis industry, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) will reverse a planned policy change that would have banned cannabis-infused gummies and hard candies, The Seattle PI reports.
Instead of an outright ban — which was first announced in October — the LCB will instead pass new regulations restricting such products’ colors and shapes.
The specific rule changes regarding infused candies have not been released yet, but the LCB suggested that edibles manufacturers should not be using bright colors or shapes that might appeal to children. The agency will release a “standard pantone color book that sets the [allowed] list of colors and specified ranges within those colors” sometime in January.
Specific exceptions may be made for “non-profit collaborations” and naturally-occurring colors, according to the report.
“We applaud the Liquor and Cannabis Board for their careful re-evaluation of their announcement earlier this year regarding cannabis-infused edibles. The agency’s new interim policy decision, informed by the input of bipartisan elected leaders and regulated industry representatives, provides a transparent review and approval process going forward for safe, quality-controlled products for adult and medicinal use.” — Vicki Christophersen, The Washington CannaBusiness Association’s Executive Director, in a statement
Implementation of the new policy is expected to take about 10 months. LCB officials say that Washington edibles companies should plan on resubmitting their products for approval by January, 2020.