Oregon medical marijuana growers warned to report inventory

The Oregon Medical Marijuana Program warned hundreds of cannabis growers Wednesday that they need to come into compliance with inventory reporting requirements or face stiff penalties.

The OMMP issued a bulletin that reminds medical growers at grow sites required to use the Oregon Medical Marijuana Online System (OMMOS) that they must report their onsite cannabis inventory and any product transfers. Growers are required to log into OMMOS to report they had no inventory or product transfers during the month.

“Reporting to OMMOS is crucial in that it requires growers to report cannabis products going into or out of their site, or remaining onsite, which helps to prevent diversion to the black market,” said Megan Lockwood, OMMP manager.

Lockwood noted that a recent Oregon Secretary of State Audit that identified administrative shortcomings at the OMMP listed OMMOS tracking enforcement as an area the program needed to address to reduce diversion.

Oregon Administrative Rules 333-008-0033(3) and 333-008-0630 state that a grower must report the previous month’s transfers and onsite inventory by the 10th of each month. Those required to report must create an online account in OMMOS to submit reports. OMMOS reporting has been a requirement since July 2016.

A total of 1,618 of 1,903 growers who fall under the OMMOS rule did not report their inventory and transfers for February.

Growers can expect to receive warning letters later this month, allowing them time to come into compliance, before notices of civil penalty are issued in May.

If a grower fails to come into compliance, a civil penalty of at least $200 will be issued, officials said. Failure to pay the civil penalty once issued, and come into compliance, may result in additional civil penalties and grower card registration revocation, they warned.

Growers at grow sites with two or fewer patients must report monthly to the OMMP using OMMOS if they:

Are the designated grower for an OMMP patient other than themselves. Are a patient growing for themselves at their own residence and they are transferring marijuana items to a medical processor or dispensary. Are a patient growing for themselves at a grow site address that is not their residence.

The state reporting rules don’t apply to patients growing only for themselves at their residence, unless they are transferring usable marijuana to a registered processing site or dispensary.

The bulletin is posted to the OMMP website: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/DISEASESCONDITIONS/CHRONICDISEASE/MEDICALMARIJUANAPROGRAM/Pages/bulletins.aspx.