Oregon medical marijuana growers prep for state tracking

This summer, about 2,000 medical marijuana growers will need to start using Oregon’s Cannabis Tracking System to ensure the marijuana they grow for patients is tracked and reported, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission said Thursday.

This week, OLCC and the Oregon Health Authority launched a series of information sessions and workshops to help growers registered with the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program begin the sign-up process to use CTS.

Oregon Senate Bill 1544, enacted during the 2018 legislative session, requires all OMMP medical marijuana grow sites with three or more patients to use CTS tracking, on or before July 1. OMMP registered processors and dispensaries are also required to start using CTS by the July 1 deadline.

More than 1,800 licensees in Oregon’s Recreational Marijuana system are already using the CTS, which tracks marijuana and marijuana products from seed to sale. OHA and OLCC are holding a series of information sessions and workshops around Oregon to help OMMP registrants understand the tracking and reporting requirements, and learn how to use the CTS.

OHA identified about 2,000 OMMP registered grow sites, where there are three or more patients registered at the grow site address. Under SB 1544, medical marijuana grow sites limited to two or fewer growers and two or fewer patients are exempt from using CTS.

The first step for a grow site required to use CTS is to designate one grower at the grow site address as the grow site administrator (GSA). OHA is conducting a series of community outreach sessions for registered medical growers to help them understand reporting and tracking requirements for all grow sites.

In a second and separate series of meetings, OHA and OLCC will provide registered medical growers, processors, and dispensaries information on the requirements for using CTS. Also, the State’s CTS provider, Metrc will provide a workshop for the OMMP registrants explaining how to use the CTS.

GSAs will be allowed to sell up to 20 pounds of marijuana into the OLCC regulated recreational marijuana system in a 12-month period. However, the GSAs must provide proof of legal access to water before the marijuana can be sold into the OLCC market. This sell-in option applies to a grow site as a whole, so a grow site with four growers would only be allowed to sell a total of 20 pounds into the recreational market, not 80 pounds.

In July, the OLCC will begin auditing OMMP grow sites, processors, and dispensaries subject to tracking in CTS. Later in 2018, OLCC inspectors will begin visiting OMMP grow sites required to use CTS to verify CTS tracking information, check to make sure CTS is being used properly, and look for any other violations. However, because OHA regulates the OMMP program, OHA will determine any enforcement based on investigations conducted by OLCC.

OHA will hold its GSA information meetings in Portland & Albany on May 4, Salem on May 8, Portland and Tillamook on May 10, Portland on May 11, Madras on May 14, Grants Pass on May 16 & 17. Webinars will be held for those that are unable to attend a session in person. More information and registration information can be found on the OHA OMMP website under the section “Informational Workshop Sessions.”

The combined OHA & OLCC information sessions and workshops will be held in Portland on May 8 and 9, in Grants Pass on May 23, in Ashland on May 24, in Eugene on May 31, in Newport on June 1, in Roseburg on June 7, and Sunriver on June 12. Additional details and registration information can be found on the OLCC Eventbrite page.