He came from one pioneering cannabis state, Colorado, to another, Washington, to take the reins as director of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB). Why? Will Lukela says he likes a challenge. Host Austin Jenkins interviews Director Lukela this week on Inside Olympia.
What’s his level of concern about high-THC products – which legislators have proposed regulating, but currently are just studying. “Oh it’s concerning. So we spent a lot of time with health prevention, behavioral health community, talking about impacts, and as we work through this I’m hopeful that we can come to a successful resolution between the industry and the agency, which will help Washingtonians.”
Lukela brings an educational approach to cannabis and liquor enforcement: “I wish I would have known that, the younger me. But what I found through my time in Colorado is if you can educate the licensees and the public, then the compliance rates improve.”
Also discussed: New cannabis licenses coming soon as part of the LCB’s social equity push; intoxicating hemp products; possible federal reclassification of cannabis; tracking, traceability and testing of cannabis products; the “strippers’ bill of rights” bill approved this year; cannabis store robberies; Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes now legal in California; and more.
