A temporary change in Oregon’s penalties for selling cannabis products to minors took effect last week, providing higher fines and cannabis worker permit suspensions for employees who knowingly sell cannabis to individuals under 21-years-old. The new rules up the fine from 1,650 to $4,950 and the permit revocation from 10 days to 30.
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission will review compliance activity for six months and determine whether to make the rule permanent.
“There’s no margin for error on making sure that marijuana doesn’t get in the hands of minors – period. The integrity of Oregon’s regulated system depends on industry compliance across the board.” – Paul Rosenbaum, OLCC commission chair, in a press release
The changes also increase the penalties for multiple violations; providing a 30-day retail license suspension for two violations in two years, and a complete license revocation for three violations in that span. Under the previous regime, two violations in two years would have led to a 10-day license suspension, three would have led to a 30-day suspension, while a fourth would have revoked the license entirely.
In a Jan. 14 op-ed in the Oregonian, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Billy J. Williams said that the state’s recreational cannabis program has a “massive overproduction problem,” pointing to the more than 2,600 pounds of cannabis seized by postal agents in the state and more than $1.2 million in cash tied to illicit sales.