To considerable fanfare – and the occasional stumble – the legal recreational marijuana industry opened for business in Washington state last week. So far, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) has issued the state’s first 24 marijuana retailer licenses, representing the first of 334 licenses allotted by the WSLCB for retail sales who have … Continue Reading
My colleagues Ryan Waterman and Parissa Ebrahimzadeh have evaluated the potential impacts of the new California industrial storm water permit on breweries, distilleries, and wineries in the state. See below for their report. On April 1, 2014, the California State Water Resources Control Board (“State Board”) unanimously adopted a new Industrial Storm Water permit (2014 … Continue Reading
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (“OLCC”) is initiating rulemaking that would amend licensing requirements for outdoor areas and distilled liquor tasting. Outdoor Areas The OLCC has proposed two new rules to address the licensing qualifications and operating requirements for “exclusively outdoor areas,” or areas that do not abut a licensed building. The rule would apply … Continue Reading
About a month ago, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) issued initial draft rules implementing Initiative 502 (I-502)(PDF), Washington state’s recently enacted marijuana reform law. You can read more about those draft rules here in one of our previous blog posts on the subject. Since mid-May, WSLCB has been accepting public comment regarding the … Continue Reading
Stoel Rives attorneys Susan Johnson and Jim Shore will be part of the faculty for a one-day Law Seminars International conference on June 11 regarding Washington’s Initiative 502 that legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Susan will serve as co-chair of the conference, while Jim will present on I502 implications for employer policies and procedures. … Continue Reading
Watch for our I-502 draft rules cheat sheet, coming soon! The wait is officially over, folks. Yesterday, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) met its projected mid-May deadline to issue initial draft rules implementing Initiative 502 (I-502) (PDF), Washington state’s recently enacted marijuana reform law. The 46-page proposed addition to the Washington Administrative Code … Continue Reading
Movie theaters with restaurant-style food service will reach a broader audience with the recent signing into law of a bill passed by the Washington State Legislature allowing service of food and alcoholic beverages to their patrons. The law as currently written allows some service of alcohol in movie theaters, but requires exclusion of minors from the … Continue Reading
Stoel Rives LLP offers its congratulations to Rick Garza on his appointment as Director of the Washington State Liquor Control Board. Today the agency issued a press release announcing the appointment will be effective June 1, 2013. Garza will be assuming leadership in a time of unprecedented change – the agency is on the tail end … Continue Reading
Stephanie Meier and Elaine Albrich The Washington State Liquor Control Board is proposing additional code amendments to further implement Ballot Initiative 1183. The WSLCB encourages public input and requests that initial comments be received by June 27, 2012. A public hearing will be held on the draft code amendments Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at 10 am. … Continue Reading
Initiative Measure No. 1183 is passing by a 20% margin according to Washington Secretary of State’s 2011 General Election Results website. The same source indicates that, as of this morning, a majority of voters in only four of Washington State’s counties in the state were not definitively in favor of the measure. A Press Release … Continue Reading
What a great way to spend a Wednesday morning. I joined Portland’s thought leaders on all-thing-alcohol this morning at St. Jack restaurant, where we broadcasted live on OPB. A lively discussion of Oregon’s alcohol industry was lead by On Air Host Emily Harris. Reasons behind Oregon’s alcohol industry boom, the State’s history with alcohol, and … Continue Reading
Portland-area food cart owners are innovative, creative, and continue to contribute to Portland’s food and beverage culture. The range of food options varies greatly, but it is easy to find what you are looking for, or get updated on the recent cart happenings, with the likes of Food Carts Portland. Portland’s food cart culture has … Continue Reading