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Board denies five petitions seeking CCRS rule changes and outside review
Summary
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board unanimously denied five related petitions requesting external review mechanisms and emergency or permanent rule changes tied to the cannabis central reporting system (CCRS), with the Director's Office arguing the issues are software or enforcement matters, not rulemaking questions.
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board on June 3 upheld the Director's Office recommendation to deny five petitions for rulemaking that challenged the functionality and governance of the state's cannabis central reporting system, widely referred to in the meeting as CCRS.
Jeff (Director's Office) summarized each petition and recommended denial, saying, "the director's office recommends denial of the petition." He told the board petitioners had not identified any external entity authorized to provide the kind of independent review requested, that the board lacks statutory authority to create or fund a new external investigative agency, and that established adjudicative avenues (including referral to the Office of Administrative Hearings) exist for licensees seeking review.
Petitions presented sought a range of actions: independent third-party review of agency interactions with licensees; a declaratory statement clarifying CCRS's status and limitations; emergency rulemaking to align CCRS with evolving federal traceability expectations; rule changes to strengthen traceability, licensing validation and operational verification; and emergency standards to prevent so-called "ghost license" activity where nonoperating facilities receive manifests.
The Director's Office argued repeatedly that CCRS is a reporting system (software) rather than a rule text and that software limitations are not appropriately addressed through administrative rulemaking. The office also pointed to state audit and JLARC reports acknowledging CCRS limitations and described an internal plan that includes future replacement contingent on legislative funding.
In each case the board voted to accept the Director's Office recommendation to deny the petition; the motions were recorded as passing unanimously during the meeting (recorded votes 3 to 0 where noted). The board and staff indicated that software fixes, enforcement actions, and legislative funding channels are the appropriate pathways for addressing the operational problems petitioners described.
The meeting record shows the petitions were filed between April 29 and May 20, 2026, by Amy Deluge of The Green Seed in Moses Lake and by representatives of Eagle Tree Farms (an outdoor producer). The Director's Office said acknowledgments for the petitions were sent on April 30, May 5, May 6, May 15 and May 20. The board did not adopt any of the petitioner's requested rules or declaratory statements.
