Special report Pt. 1: ‘Cheat sheet’ for legal marijuana
July 1, 2015 will be a groundbreaking day for many Oregonians. Many might not notice a difference. This summer, those over the age of 21 are legally allowed to possess and consume marijuana in the state of Oregon.
Under Measure 91, Oregonians are allowed new freedoms on July 1. Some major changes are the following: You can grow up to four plants per residence, you can have up to eight ounces of useable marijuana per residence, and you can carry one ounce of marijuana in public — but not in public view.
“If you have one person in the house, they can have four plants,” Oregon Liquor Control Commission spokesman. “If you have 10 people in the house, they can still only have four plants.”
The OLCC has the authority to tax, license and regulate recreational marijuana — but not enforce the rules. Enforcement is up to local police agencies.
The sale of recreational pot won’t begin for quite some time. The OLCC says retails stores likely won’t open until the third quarter of 2016.
And selling pot is still considered illegal after July 1, 2015.
“It’s against the law to sell it without a license,” Towslee said. “There won’t be any licenses until next year.”
You’re allowed to get the marijuana from growing it yourself, or receiving it from a friend — but you cannot give anything in return.
“Under the provisions of Measure 91, we’re required to begin accepting applications for growers, retailers, processors, and retail outlets on Jan. 4 of 2016,” Towslee said.
The OLCC created an advisory committee to hash out the recreational marijuana industry’s rules. Hunter Neubauer of Bend is the only advisory committee member from this area, and the owner of Oregrown, a medical marijuana dispensary in Bend.
“Now we’ve got a pretty good idea on how we should do this, and we’re trying to make sure we do that here in Oregon, but also on a national level,” Neubauer said.
The OLCC’S Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee will work directly with community members and the board of directors to establish rules for the implementation of retail stores.
