I think (speculation based on some light reading) the WA indoor/outdoor split is based on requiring a very high level of oversight and control on the growing op

I think (speculation based on some light reading) the WA indoor/outdoor split is based on requiring a very high level of oversight and control on the growing operation — from what I understand, WA processes have per-plant requirements. Put roughly, it’s a lot harder to smuggle 5 plants out of a climate- and access-controlled building than it is to toss a bundle of foliage over a fence. I live in WA, and have since before the legalization efforts were passed. (I voted for it but do not partake, for various uninteresting reasons.) The approach here was based at least as much on trying to slowly open small, controlled ports in the dam as it was trying to create a viable business opportunity. The idea seems to be “there’s enough demand for a boom now either way, and we can open up later more easily than we can close down.” Honestly, bitcoin miners using super-cheap electricity might be a greater concern for the government, at the moment.