Washington marijuana applicants’ personal info subject to data breach
SEATTLE (Cannabist) — The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board is working to notify marijuana license applicants whose personal information was accidentally distributed by the agency in response to a public records request.
The data may include social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial information, tax information and attorney-client privileged information. The LCB had redacted the documents for the records request, but a folder containing the personal information was accidentally included.
The agency confirmed the breach Tuesday and said it was working to notify affected individuals.
“We’re going through and talking with the Attorney General’s office and planning some communications to those who have been specifically affected,” LCB spokesman Brian Smith told The Cannabist.
The LCB declined to state how many applicants it plans to contact regarding the disclosure. “We want to be able to communicate first with the people who may be affected by this,” Smith said. “We are working to notify them as early as today.”
The personal information was provided after a records request by Washington activist John Novak, who runs a website called 420 Leaks that is critical of the agency and the state’s legalization law. Novak told The Cannabist he requested documents related to marijuana applications filed under a recently enacted law that allows unlicensed medical cannabis collectives to apply for state licenses.
