House adopts amendment by Rep. Joyce McDonald to prohibit marijuana billboards
An amendment to prohibit billboards that advertise marijuana and marijuana related products was passed in the House on Tuesday night by a vote of 51-47. It was proposed by Rep. Joyce McDonald, R-Puyallup, who compared the commonsense amendment to the same restrictions placed on the tobacco industry.
“Under current law, marijuana cannot depict children, toys, cartoons or otherwise be appealing to children,” said McDonald. “The marijuana industry has been ignoring the current law and continues to promote billboards that are in the faces of families and children. This needs to stop.”
McDonald offered Amendment 467 during debate on Senate Bill 5131, which was drafted at the request of the Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB). Senate Bill 5131 strictly outlines advertisement guidelines for marijuana, as well as other new marijuana-related regulations.Without the amendment however, billboards would still have been allowed.
“I have been contacted by many parents in my district who are extremely concerned by so many marijuana billboards along the roadways in Puyallup,” said McDonald. “To me, this is just protecting children and putting marijuana on a level playing field with tobacco.”
If signed into law, the measure will not go into effect until July 1, 2018.
Senate Bill 5131 passed the House and will now return to the Senate for a concurrent adoption.
