Bruce Turcott

Bruce Turcott is Legal Editor of the Cannabis Law Deskbook. Bruce joined the Attorney General Alliance, co-publisher of the Deskbook, after retiring from state service. He is responsible for updating Deskbook content to reflect developments in cannabis law across all states and territories and to provide guidance to those engaged in this area of law and policy.

Bruce was a Senior Counsel in the Washington Attorney General’s Office until retiring in 2022. As lead counsel for the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB), he advised the state of Washington for nearly 10 years on implementing the world’s first cannabis licensing system from scratch,

including the nation’s first tribal-state cannabis compacts, defended legal challenges to the legalization initiative, and co-chaired an Attorney General’s Office work group to coordinate legal advice across state agencies. Bruce was the founding chair of the AGA Cannabis Project Advisory Council, chaired the

informal cannabis working group of the National Association of Attorneys General, and is a frequent presenter consulted by U.S. jurisdictions and Canada.

Bruce also advised WSLCB on liquor, tobacco, and vapor products law. Prior to his taking a leading role in cannabis law, he advised numerous business and professional licensing programs for the Department of Licensing, advised the Board of Accountancy and the Executive Ethics Board, and served as a

legislative liaison for the Department of Social and Health Services. Bruce was an assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Chief of Law for the Federated States of Micronesia.

Bruce served as a law clerk for Washington Supreme Court Justice Barbara Durham. He holds a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law, Master’s in Higher Education from the University of Washington, and BA in Anthropology from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.