Oregon pot export bill gets hearing, and a warning

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A bill that would create the possibility of Oregon exporting marijuana to adjacent states where cannabis is also legal has had its first public hearing, where advocates said it would give Oregon a way to relieve its oversupply and grow its brand.

Separately, the U.S. attorney for Oregon warned against it.

There is little expectation that Senate Bill 582, if passed by the Legislature, would open marijuana commerce between California, Oregon and Washington, the three contiguous Western states where it is legal. But some advocates see it as a way to start laying the groundwork for when the federal government might decriminalize marijuana.

U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams told The Associated Press on Thursday that the bill does not change the fact that transporting marijuana across state lines is a federal crime.