OR: Marijuana Bills That Will Make A Difference For The Better

[Robert Celt]

It took a year of getting used to, but the unthinkable made sense from the start: Sell recreational and medical marijuana under the same roof. One-stop shopping. Streamlined regulatory efforts. No confusion from consumer. And, critically, no threat to medical marijuana users fearful their preferred products would be lost.

Blistering through bills in a legislative session lasting what seems the blink of an eye, lawmakers in Salem are tightening Oregon's rollout of legal recreational pot in such a way as to integrate the well-established, but largely unregulated, medical marijuana market into the new recreational market. In doing so, they'll save themselves and Oregonians from unkinking a dual system that might have sputtered in just a few years.

This week, a bill to close the separation between legal recreational and medical marijuana will go up for a vote. It should pass. It allows businesses with licenses to sell recreational pot also to sell medical marijuana products. Significantly, it also would require that any medical marijuana product sold in a recreational pot shop undergo the same rigorous tracking, from seed to sale, as recreational pot and as conducted by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. This is good for the consumer, good for regulators and law enforcement, and good for a new market segment that will depend upon state-certified product authenticity and consistency. A separate bill, meanwhile, would ensure that purchases by medical marijuana patients, along with their caregivers, will continue to be free of taxation.

To the credit of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Implementing Measure 91, whose long work last year was made sweaty from debates about keeping the markets separate, lawmakers now seem to believe enough ground has been turned to get pot right straight out of the gate.

Last week, for example, the Legislature's Joint Marijuana Legalization Committee was unanimous in supporting yet another bill that would remove from early regulations protectionist language stipulating out-of-state investors seeking to do pot business in Oregon meet an Oregon residency requirement – a rule hatched last year to allay fears among some growers who worried their lunch would be eaten by wealthy outsiders. But even the Oregon Cannabis Association, which represents some growers, supported the wise action, Noelle Crombie of The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

Big complicated new things take time to get right, and implementing Measure 91 one is such thing. Fortunately, the Legislature and then the OLCC had all of last year to lend provisional shape to what rational pot commerce might look like. This year, in the short session, they can and must fine-tune their statutes and regulations as they rethink some assumptions.

Few thought along the way that towns and cities across nearly half the state, whose residents overall had approved Measure 91, would opt out of allowing pot shops at all within their borders. But they have. And many municipalities embracing weed commerce have established their own offices to oversee store siting, policing and licensure, Portland among them.

Context, however, is everything. State laws that are lean, coherent and true to the broader goals of Measure 91 – among them the decriminalization of the marijuana trade and shrinkage of marijuana's black market – are essential. Yet the very same laws and regulations must vigorously serve the ease and interests of both medical and recreational consumers to ensure success.

News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: OR: Marijuana Bills That Will Make A Difference For The Better
Author: Staff
Contact: The Oregonian
Photo Credit: Ted S Warren
Website: The Oregonian

 

[Radogast]

Significantly, it also would require that any medical marijuana product sold in a recreational pot shop undergo the same rigorous tracking, from seed to sale, as recreational pot and as conducted by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

There is no compelling reason to rigorously track a naturally safe plant from seed to sale. We don't do it with unsafe plants such as tobacco. The idea that we need seed to sale tracking is based on prohibition era black market forces and prohibition era lies about marijuana safety.

This is good for the consumer, good for regulators and law enforcement, and good for a new market segment that will depend upon state-certified product authenticity and consistency.

NOT good for consumers - it only raises expenses, and thus consumer prices

The only good for regulators and law enforcement is it gives them work to do that protects their phoney baloney jobs.

NOT good for the new (recreational) market segment as it does not ensure a quality product (growing skills, storage skills, pest management, and testing do that.) One smoke tells a knowledgable customer whether there was value. Authenticity is in the product, not the paperwork.

 

[Tranquilgreen]

I'd love to see what would happen if all alcohol, prescription drugs and tobacco were put under the stringent laws they are saddling the cannabis market with. Seed to Sale?! If they want to control the black market they should allow the sales of marijuana in stores to be CHEAPER than that sold by the local black market operation. It would also save us taxpayers some cash in paying salaries of the building up of more government jobs.

Why not just put a tax on the sales and eliminate the growth?

 

[OlderGrower]

I'd love to see what would happen if all alcohol, prescription drugs and tobacco were put under the stringent laws they are saddling the cannabis market with. Seed to Sale?! If they want to control the black market they should allow the sales of marijuana in stores to be CHEAPER than that sold by the local black market operation. It would also save us taxpayers some cash in paying salaries of the building up of more government jobs.

Why not just put a tax on the sales and eliminate the growth?

I really have no issue with the seed to sale tracking part of this legislation. Personally if I was going to pay to buy a product, be it bud, meat, or vegetables I would like to know how it was grown and what chemicals were used on it. That being said, we should not take this time to quibble over how Oregon, Washington, Alaska or Colorado legislate the legalization of MJ, where we really need to concentrate on is the legalization of the remaining 46 states. Once it is legal nationally we can quibble all we want over this procedure or that one. Our first and foremost concern should be the complete nationwide decriminalization of MJ and stop the needless arrest and incarceration of our fellow brothers and sisters.

While I do agree that it could be legislated better in my state of Oregon, my only concern at this juncture in time in our countries history is to stop the persecution of my fellow countrymen and women from this unjust prohibition. Lets not forget, that while I have the right to smoke a bowl in the privacy of my home or in the privacy of a friends home without fear of being arrested many of our fellow friends and neighbors can only do it while having to hide from our government in fear of being arrested and prosecuted.
Now is not the time to be greedy or selfish, it is the time to be responsible and stand up for your fellow countrymen/women who are being deprived of the basic rights that 4 states presently are allowed to enjoy.

Chances are we will not agree on how they regulate MJ, no more then we will agree on how they regulate Alcohol or Tobacco but now is not the time to draw our attentions away from the most important goal. The end of this crazy prohibition which has been a bigger disaster then the prohibition on Alcohol.

Stay focused my friends, stay focused. The end game is near and all we have to do is stay focused on the end goal and it can be a reality if we just stay focused.