Conference committee approves amended SB 2294 setting edible cannabis limits, 5-1

A conference committee on Senate Bill 2294 approved amended limits for edible cannabis products and removed language that combined possession and purchase limits, the panel said Thursday, voting 5-1 to give the bill a "do pass" recommendation.

The committee’s action resolves differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill on edible possession and purchase amounts. The committee approved an amendment to set single-package possession at 500 milligrams of edible THC (replacing a 250-milligram figure from a House draft), to set a 310-milligram figure tied to a 10 mg/day calculation, and to remove the phrase "or possess" where it had conflated purchase and possession limits.

The change to 310 milligrams reflects the committee’s stated math: 10 milligrams per day times 31 days. Representative Holly (conference committee member) moved the amendment, and Representative Dobrevitch seconded it. After a roll-call vote from the clerk, the committee recorded five votes in favor and one opposed. Senator Roars, Senator Weston, Representative Balinski, Representative Holly and Representative Dobrevitch voted yes; Senator Clemens voted no.

Representative Balinski asked how the panel arrived at the specific numbers, saying, "So why are we setting the limit at this specific number?" Committee members explained the adjustment considered package size, dosing flexibility and distances some residents travel to reach a dispensary. One committee member explained the committee had originally used a 5-milligram package size to let people titrate their dose more finely: "You could go 5, 10, 15," the member said when describing package options.

Committee members also discussed monthly purchase totals. The transcript records a committee reference that the overall monthly purchase limit in related sections is 6,000 milligrams; the committee said that a 500-milligram cap on edibles would be small in comparison to that total. The committee removed the combined "purchase or possess" phrasing because every other section in the bill set purchase and possession as separate numbers; committee members said leaving the combined language would have unintentionally prevented people from having product at home while buying more.

After the amendment passed, the committee moved and voted to approve Senate Bill 2294 as amended. The clerk again recorded a 5-1 "do pass as amended" recommendation. Committee members named Representative Balinski and one other member as the carriers for the House side; the committee indicated it would identify the Senate carrier internally.

No further votes, fiscal impacts or implementation dates were specified on the record. The committee did not adopt additional directions to staff beyond carrying the conference report forward.

The committee’s discussion focused narrowly on aligning possession and purchase language and on numeric limits for edible forms of cannabis; there was limited debate beyond those points. The transcript does not record any amendments to other sections of the bill or additional committee instructions.