Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill on Tuesday that will allow medical marijuana dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana in a limited capacity beginning in October.
The bill, SB 460, will allow adults over the age of 21 to buy up to a quarter-ounce per day, as well as marijuana seeds and up to four immature cannabis plants.
The bill’s supporters have argued that Oregon should get a jump on legal recreational marijuana sales so as to divert sales traffic from the black market. Medical marijuana dispensary owners also stated that they were anxious to get into the recreational market because of oversaturation in the medical market.
Dispensaries will not be taxed under the program until January 4th, at which point they will be taxed at a rate of 25%. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), which plans to license recreational pot shops, expects such retailers to begin opening in the second half of 2016. Many medical dispensaries are expected to seek OLCC licenses, which will allow them to sell up to an ounce at a time and a wider variety of products to customers.
The bill specifies that local governments will be allowed to enact legislation prohibiting the limited sale of recreational marijuana by dispensaries.
Sources:
http://www.oregonlive.com/mapes/index.ssf/2015/07/early_marijuana_sales_bill_for.html
http://www.theweedblog.com/its-official-oregon-recreational-marijuana-sales-will-begin-october-1st/
Photo Credit: Mark