Bill would cap local distance rules to help social-equity cannabis retailers find locations

Substitute Senate Bill 5758, intended to ease siting restrictions for cannabis retailers licensed through the state’s social equity program, was heard by the Consumer Protection & Business Committee on March 19. The bill would prohibit a city, town, or county from requiring social-equity program retail licensees to locate more than 250 feet from the premises of another licensed cannabis retailer.

Committee staff explained the proposal. Peter Clodfelter told members that Washington law already limits where cannabis businesses may locate relative to schools, playgrounds, childcare centers, parks and other sensitive facilities — typically a 1,000-foot default distance, with some local reductions allowed for non-school sites — but state law does not set a distance limit between retailers. By contrast, local jurisdictions have adopted a range of retailer-to-retailer restrictions: the city of Everett uses 2,500 feet, Seattle and Bellevue 1,000 feet, and Vancouver 300 feet.

Senator Rebecca Saldana, the bill’s sponsor, said the social equity program began licensing in 2024 but many awardees cannot find compliant locations under local rules. "We have right now 11 that have found locations, but there's many that have been challenged," she told the committee, arguing the cap would help licensees open in the communities where they received approvals.

Industry and equity advocates testified in support. Caitlin Ryan, executive director of the Cannabis Alliance, said the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) reported that of 40 issued social equity licenses, 32 were still struggling to find a location and that the principal obstacle was local distance requirements. "These policies have made it nearly impossible for new businesses to find compliant spaces, essentially halting the execution of the social equity program," Ryan said. Representatives of Black Excellence in Cannabis testified that lowering buffers is one step toward redressing historic exclusion of Black and Brown entrepreneurs from the regulated market.

Committee members raised concerns about preemption of local land-use control and whether reduced buffers could create clustering or conflict with local moratoria. Senator Saldana said the bill is narrow and that cities and counties retain numerous zoning and public-safety controls; she told the committee that local officials she had consulted did not register opposition. Representative Ryu and others suggested the committee could consider more fine-grained changes, such as accounting for physical barriers between sites or differentiating buffers for schools and playgrounds.

The staff briefing noted the LCB completed rulemaking updates to the social equity program in January 2025 and that a first licensing round had issued licenses in 2024; several approved applicants have not yet opened because they cannot secure compliant sites. The committee received remote public testimony from industry groups and equity advocates; no formal vote was taken during the hearing.

The committee closed the public hearing on SB 5758 after the recorded testimony. Any amendments or committee action would be decided in subsequent legislative steps.