WA to Withhold Safety-Related Info on MJ Shops

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The Washington State Legislature approved a pair of bills this week that would exempt certain financial information, money-carrier routes, security plans and camera locations for marijuana businesses from the state’s public disclosure laws, according to the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

“That type of information, in the wrong hands, can definitely be detrimental,” Jim Mullen, who owns two dispensaries in Vancouver, told the Bainbridge Review. “It’s like having the blueprints to a bank.”

Currently, almost all information provided by marijuana businesses to the state can be obtained by a public records request.

The Senate and House bills are not identical, so legislators will have to choose which one they prefer before a final vote, the Union-Bulletin reported.

The sponsor of the Senate bill, Republican Sen. Ann Rivers of Vancouver, said the changes were made for safety reasons. The legislation, which was passed “overwhelmingly,” was supported by the state’s Liquor and Cannabis Board, according to the Bainbridge Review.