S-4064.1

SENATE BILL 6272

BySenators Mullet and Wagoner

AN ACT Relating to dedicating the state share of cannabis excise tax revenue to counties and cities for the purpose of attracting and retaining commissioned law enforcement officers; and amending RCW 69.50.540.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 69.50.540 and 2023 c 470 s 1015 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) For the purposes of this subsection (1), the legislature must appropriate the amounts provided in this subsection:

(a) $12,500,000 annually to the board for administration of this chapter as appropriated in the omnibus appropriations act;

(b) $11,000,000 annually to the department of health for the following:

(i) Creation, implementation, operation, and management of a cannabis, vapor product, and commercial tobacco education and public health program that contains the following:

(A) A cannabis use public health hotline that provides referrals to substance abuse treatment providers, uses evidence-based or research-based public health approaches to minimizing the harms associated with cannabis use, and does not solely advocate an abstinence-only approach;

(B) Programs that support development and implementation of coordinated intervention strategies for the prevention and reduction of commercial tobacco, vapor product, and cannabis use by youth and cannabis cessation treatment services, including grant programs to local health departments or other local community agencies;

(C) Media-based education campaigns across television, internet, radio, print, and out-of-home advertising, separately targeting youth and adults, that provide medically and scientifically accurate information about the health and safety risks posed by cannabis use; and

(D) Outreach to priority populations regarding commercial tobacco, vapor product, and cannabis use, prevention, and cessation; and

(ii) The Washington poison control center;

(c)(i) $3,000,000 annually to the department of commerce to fund cannabis social equity grants under RCW 43.330.540; and

(ii) $200,000 annually to the department of commerce to fund technical assistance through a roster of mentors under RCW 43.330.540;

(d) $200,000 annually, until June 30, 2032, to the health care authority to contract with the Washington state institute for public policy to conduct the cost-benefit evaluations and produce the reports described in RCW 69.50.550;

(e) $25,000 annually to the University of Washington alcohol and drug abuse institute for the creation, maintenance, and timely updating of web-based public education materials providing medically and scientifically accurate information about the health and safety risks posed by cannabis use;

(f) $300,000 annually to the University of Washington and $175,000 annually to the Washington State University for research on the short-term and long-term effects of cannabis use to include, but not be limited to, formal and informal methods for estimating and measuring intoxication and impairments, and for the dissemination of such research;

(g) $550,000 annually to the office of the superintendent of public instruction to fund grants to building bridges programs under chapter 28A.175 RCW;

(h) $2,423,000 for fiscal year 2022 and $2,423,000 for fiscal year 2023 to the Washington state patrol for a drug enforcement task force;

(i) $270,000 for fiscal year 2022 and $290,000 for fiscal year 2023 to the department of ecology for implementation of accreditation of cannabis product testing laboratories;

(j) $800,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2023 to the department of health for the administration of the cannabis authorization database; and

(k) $621,000 for fiscal year 2022 and $635,000 for fiscal year 2023 to the department of agriculture for compliance-based laboratory analysis of pesticides in cannabis.

(2) ((Subsections [Subsection]))Subsection (1)(a) through (g) of this section must be adjusted annually based on the United States bureau of labor statistics' consumer price index for the Seattle area.

(3) After appropriation of the amounts identified in subsection (1) of this section, the legislature must annually appropriate such remaining amounts for the purposes listed in this subsection (3) as follows:

(a) ((Fifty-two))52 percent to the state basic health plan trust account to be administered by the Washington basic health plan administrator and used as provided under chapter 70.47 RCW;

(b) ((Eleven))11 percent to the health care authority to:

(i) Design and administer the Washington state healthy youth survey, analyze the collected data, and produce reports, in collaboration with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, department of health, department of commerce, family policy council, and board. The survey must be conducted at least every two years and include questions regarding, but not necessarily limited to, academic achievement, age at time of substance use initiation, antisocial behavior of friends, attitudes toward antisocial behavior, attitudes toward substance use, laws and community norms regarding antisocial behavior, family conflict, family management, parental attitudes toward substance use, peer rewarding of antisocial behavior, perceived risk of substance use, and rebelliousness. Funds disbursed under this subsection may be used to expand administration of the healthy youth survey to student populations attending institutions of higher education in Washington;

(ii) Develop, implement, maintain, and evaluate programs and practices aimed at the prevention or reduction of maladaptive substance use, substance use disorder, substance abuse or substance dependence, as these terms are defined in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, among middle school and high school-age students, whether as an explicit goal of a given program or practice or as a consistently corresponding effect of its implementation, mental health services for children and youth, and services for pregnant and parenting women. In deciding which programs and practices to fund under this subsection (3)(b)(ii), the director of the health care authority must consult, at least annually, with the University of Washington's social development research group and the University of Washington's alcohol and drug abuse institute; and

(iii) Contract with community health centers to provide primary health and dental care services, migrant health services, and maternity health care services as provided under RCW 41.05.220; and

(c)(i) One and one-half percent to counties, cities, and towns where licensed cannabis retailers are physically located. Each jurisdiction must receive a share of the revenue distribution under this subsection (3)(c)(i) based on the proportional share of the total revenues generated in the individual jurisdiction from the taxes collected under RCW 69.50.535, from licensed cannabis retailers physically located in each jurisdiction. For purposes of this subsection (3)(c), 100 percent of the proportional amount attributed to a retailer physically located in a city or town must be distributed to the city or town;

(ii) Three and one-half percent to counties, cities, and towns ratably on a per capita basis. Counties must receive 60 percent of the distribution based on each county's total proportional population. Funds may only be distributed to jurisdictions that do not prohibit the siting of any state licensed cannabis producer, processor, or retailer;

(iii) 32 percent to counties, cities, and towns, ratably on a per capita basis. The county must receive that proportion that the unincorporated population of the county bears to the total population of the county and each city must receive that proportion that the city incorporated population bears to the total county population. Funds received under this subsection (c)(iii) may be used as follows:

(iv) By September 15th of each year, the board must provide the state treasurer the annual distribution amount made under this subsection (3)(c), if any, for each county and city as determined in (c)(i) ((and (ii)))through (iii) of this subsection; and

(((iv)))(v) Distribution amounts allocated to each county, city, and town in (c)(i) ((and (ii)))through (iii) of this subsection must be distributed in four installments by the last day of each fiscal quarter((; and

(d) Thirty-two percent must be deposited in the state general fund)).

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