Washington Senate Committee Advances Home Cannabis Cultivation Bill

WASHINGTON – The Washington State Senate Labor & Commerce Committee has approved Senate Bill 6204, advancing legislation that would permit adults 21-plus to grow limited amounts of Cannabis at home for personal use.

Introduced in January by Democratic Sens. Rebecca Saldaña, Noel Frame, and T’wina Nobles, the measure cleared the committee on February 3 in a voice vote, marking the first time a Senate panel has passed such a proposal since voters approved recreational Cannabis legalization in 2012. An amendment offered by Republican Sen. Mark Schoesler was adopted, allowing local governments to impose bans or moratoriums on home cultivation if they choose.

Under the bill, individuals could cultivate up to six plants per adult, with a household cap of 15 plants regardless of the number of residents. Plants and their produce must stay private on the property, out of public view, and undetectable by odor from neighboring areas. The legislation excludes cultivation in households pursuing foster care licensing or operating family day care. Minor excesses (between six and 16 plants) would trigger civil penalties, while larger amounts would remain felonies, with excess plants subject to seizure and destruction.

Washington remains one of the few states with legal adult-use Cannabis that prohibits personal home growing, alongside a small number of others. Proponents have introduced similar bills for over a decade, citing disproportionate enforcement impacts on communities of color and the limited threat to licensed retail sales. A companion measure in the House has advanced in prior sessions but not reached final passage.

The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration. If it advances through both chambers and receives the governor’s signature, it would represent a modest but meaningful adjustment to the state’s 2012 framework, aligning personal freedoms more closely with those in many other legal markets while preserving regulatory safeguards for public safety and equity concerns.

Ultimately, this advancement highlights the ongoing friction between voter-approved legalization and persistent limitations on personal autonomy. While committee approval signifies rising legislative traction, local opt-out provisions and household limits reflect a cautious stance on broader adoption. The outcome in the full Senate will reveal whether Washington is geared up to close one of the still remaining major gaps in its Cannabis policy.