Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Marijuana growers for the recreational market must prove to the state they've been residents of Oregon for two years and must create a plan for water and energy use under a proposal that surfaced Monday in the Legislature.
House Bill 3400 received a 104-page amendment that includes new proposed laws and some changes to Ballot Measure 91 and is now the main vessel for substantive regulations lawmakers will debate before marijuana becomes legal in six weeks and retail markets open in the coming year.
The bill also proposes a point-of-sale method of taxing marijuana sales in shops and would require tracking of marijuana from seed to sale.
The joint Senate-House committee that has worked for more than four months toward regulating legal marijuana showed its desire to work together after deep disagreements over changes to Oregon's medical marijuana program nearly derailed the committee.
The 10-member committee began discussing proposed new regulations and changes to Ballot Measure 91, which passed with 56 percent of the vote in November, during a hearing Monday.
Lawmakers said they're now committed to getting past the issues around the medical marijuana program that came to a head over the last month.
"Although I don't espouse or appreciate recreational use of marijuana, the folks passed it, and we need to stick as close to the intent of that bill as we can. That's my hope," Rep. Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass, said in an interview.
The joint committee started on the medical marijuana program because members believe that industry is leaking millions of dollars into the black market that would otherwise head to the state's coffers if there were more oversight.
The Senate last week created its own committee, which passed a bill Monday that would impose new limits on medical marijuana grow sites and give local governments six months to pass laws banning dispensaries and processing sites in their jurisdictions.
Provisions in that bill, Senate Bill 964, will head to the full Senate floor, possibly later this week, before heading to the House, where its future is uncertain.
Amid a willingness to work together to try and regulate the recreational market, lawmakers on the joint committee will face some of the same questions over local control that split Democrats around the medical marijuana program.
House Democrats wanted to allow city and county governments only to refer a ban on medical marijuana facilities to a ballot, where local voters would ultimately decide.
Senate Democrats and all Republicans on the committee opted for the six-month opt-out period offered to local governments.
Both sides believe the issue will creep into discussions over the recreational market despite language in Ballot Measure 91 that prevented local governments from opting to ban marijuana facilities.
"One thing I would say (to) not touch is the opt-out provision," said Anthony Johnson, who was the chief petitioner of the Measure 91 campaign and who owns a medical marijuana consultancy that pairs cardholders with growers.
"If you allow 140 cities to opt out, then our system is not going to work nearly as well as if we bring as many people in the regulated system as possible."
When the Legislature gave cities and counties the option to ban medical marijuana dispensaries for one year, 146 cities and 26 of 36 counties in Oregon placed moratoriums on dispensaries. The bans ended May 1, 2015.
Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, said he would like to keep the provision placed in Measure 91 that would only allow cities and counties that receive a valid initiative petition let voters decide whether to ban recreational marijuana sales. That's a bigger hurdle than simply passing an ordinance.
"From my perspective, I am, for one, not looking to change what was put into Measure 91 as to how local option works," Prozanski said during Monday's hearing.
Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland, who was one of the House Democrats that voted down the local control provisions in Senate Bill 964, said he would oppose similar local control over recreational pot bans. He told Senate members of the joint committee if they wanted to give cities and counties easy opt-out power, to do it in their own Senate committee.
House Bill 3400 is set for a public hearing Wednesday. The Legislature has up to seven weeks to work on recreational marijuana laws and rules before it must adjourn by July 11.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Lawmakers unveil proposed rules on recreational pot in Oregon; Growers would need energy, water plan under bill in Salem
Author: Taylor W. Anderson
Contact: tanderson@bendbulletin.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Bend & Central Oregon Local News, Sports, Weather, and Lifestyle
House Bill 3400 received a 104-page amendment that includes new proposed laws and some changes to Ballot Measure 91 and is now the main vessel for substantive regulations lawmakers will debate before marijuana becomes legal in six weeks and retail markets open in the coming year.
The bill also proposes a point-of-sale method of taxing marijuana sales in shops and would require tracking of marijuana from seed to sale.
The joint Senate-House committee that has worked for more than four months toward regulating legal marijuana showed its desire to work together after deep disagreements over changes to Oregon's medical marijuana program nearly derailed the committee.
The 10-member committee began discussing proposed new regulations and changes to Ballot Measure 91, which passed with 56 percent of the vote in November, during a hearing Monday.
Lawmakers said they're now committed to getting past the issues around the medical marijuana program that came to a head over the last month.
"Although I don't espouse or appreciate recreational use of marijuana, the folks passed it, and we need to stick as close to the intent of that bill as we can. That's my hope," Rep. Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass, said in an interview.
The joint committee started on the medical marijuana program because members believe that industry is leaking millions of dollars into the black market that would otherwise head to the state's coffers if there were more oversight.
The Senate last week created its own committee, which passed a bill Monday that would impose new limits on medical marijuana grow sites and give local governments six months to pass laws banning dispensaries and processing sites in their jurisdictions.
Provisions in that bill, Senate Bill 964, will head to the full Senate floor, possibly later this week, before heading to the House, where its future is uncertain.
Amid a willingness to work together to try and regulate the recreational market, lawmakers on the joint committee will face some of the same questions over local control that split Democrats around the medical marijuana program.
House Democrats wanted to allow city and county governments only to refer a ban on medical marijuana facilities to a ballot, where local voters would ultimately decide.
Senate Democrats and all Republicans on the committee opted for the six-month opt-out period offered to local governments.
Both sides believe the issue will creep into discussions over the recreational market despite language in Ballot Measure 91 that prevented local governments from opting to ban marijuana facilities.
"One thing I would say (to) not touch is the opt-out provision," said Anthony Johnson, who was the chief petitioner of the Measure 91 campaign and who owns a medical marijuana consultancy that pairs cardholders with growers.
"If you allow 140 cities to opt out, then our system is not going to work nearly as well as if we bring as many people in the regulated system as possible."
When the Legislature gave cities and counties the option to ban medical marijuana dispensaries for one year, 146 cities and 26 of 36 counties in Oregon placed moratoriums on dispensaries. The bans ended May 1, 2015.
Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, said he would like to keep the provision placed in Measure 91 that would only allow cities and counties that receive a valid initiative petition let voters decide whether to ban recreational marijuana sales. That's a bigger hurdle than simply passing an ordinance.
"From my perspective, I am, for one, not looking to change what was put into Measure 91 as to how local option works," Prozanski said during Monday's hearing.
Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland, who was one of the House Democrats that voted down the local control provisions in Senate Bill 964, said he would oppose similar local control over recreational pot bans. He told Senate members of the joint committee if they wanted to give cities and counties easy opt-out power, to do it in their own Senate committee.
House Bill 3400 is set for a public hearing Wednesday. The Legislature has up to seven weeks to work on recreational marijuana laws and rules before it must adjourn by July 11.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Lawmakers unveil proposed rules on recreational pot in Oregon; Growers would need energy, water plan under bill in Salem
Author: Taylor W. Anderson
Contact: tanderson@bendbulletin.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Bend & Central Oregon Local News, Sports, Weather, and Lifestyle
