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Rob Bovett's irritation over aspects of Oregon's new medical marijuana dispensary law was clear to everyone attending a meeting Monday to review the latest draft of rules designed to govern the industry. Bovett, the Lincoln County district attorney and a leading law enforcement voice on drug policy, told other members of the rules committee that he planned to write a letter to Gov. John Kitzhaber detailing what he sees as a "laundry list" of problems with House Bill 3460. The law creates a registry of medical marijuana dispensaries.
Bovett said he'd like Oregon lawmakers to consider tweaking the law during the short session planned for February. The committee charged with drafting rules for retail outlets will meet again before the end of the year. The state plans to begin accepting applications for establishments in March 2014. Bovett said he's concerned the state's plan to hire four people to enforce the dispensary rules is inadequate. He also thinks lawmakers should add a provision allowing local governments to impose their own restrictions on these establishments, as some cities have already done.
Bovett said one of his top concerns is the requirement that only owners of medical marijuana retail facilities must undergo criminal background checks. Employees aren't subject to background checks under the law. "Here we are setting up a scheme whereby the employees in these medical marijuana dispensaries are going to be dispensing what is in Oregon a schedule 2 controlled substance and they themselves are completely unregulated — no permit, no training," Bovett said. "It makes no sense to me." "It could be someone convicted of murder, literally," he said. "It could be someone who engaged in all kinds of nefarious activity and we have no regulatory authority over the people working in these things. It's crazy."
Geoff Sugerman, a political consultant who helped draft the law and a member of the rules committee, said it should be up to dispensary owners to vet their employees. "Where else do we require all employees of a business to be background-checked?" he said. "Don't we put that onus on the business itself to make sure the employees they are hiring are going to be good employees?"
Sugerman said backgrounding medical marijuana employees didn't come up during the process of drafting the bill. "We need to get away from this notion that everybody who works in this industry is a criminal," he said. "It's just not true. As the industry grows and becomes more professional, it should be treated like any other business out there." Colorado, which has medical marijuana and last year legalized recreational marijuana, requires detailed financial and criminal background checks of facility owners, and a criminal background check of all employees. Ean Seeb, a marijuana business consultant and owner of a Denver medical marijuana center, said employees should undergo background checks. "If they are only vetting the owners, who is to say the integrity of their entire operation isn't going to be jeopardized by one individual?" Seeb said. "What you are dealing with, it's like jewelry," he added. "You are dealing with a high value commodity."
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Oregonlive.com
Author: Noelle Crombie
Contact: Contact Us | Oregonian Media GroupOregonian Media Group
Website: Medical marijuana in Oregon: Rob Bovett says dispensary law needs tweaks | OregonLive.com
Bovett said he'd like Oregon lawmakers to consider tweaking the law during the short session planned for February. The committee charged with drafting rules for retail outlets will meet again before the end of the year. The state plans to begin accepting applications for establishments in March 2014. Bovett said he's concerned the state's plan to hire four people to enforce the dispensary rules is inadequate. He also thinks lawmakers should add a provision allowing local governments to impose their own restrictions on these establishments, as some cities have already done.
Bovett said one of his top concerns is the requirement that only owners of medical marijuana retail facilities must undergo criminal background checks. Employees aren't subject to background checks under the law. "Here we are setting up a scheme whereby the employees in these medical marijuana dispensaries are going to be dispensing what is in Oregon a schedule 2 controlled substance and they themselves are completely unregulated — no permit, no training," Bovett said. "It makes no sense to me." "It could be someone convicted of murder, literally," he said. "It could be someone who engaged in all kinds of nefarious activity and we have no regulatory authority over the people working in these things. It's crazy."
Geoff Sugerman, a political consultant who helped draft the law and a member of the rules committee, said it should be up to dispensary owners to vet their employees. "Where else do we require all employees of a business to be background-checked?" he said. "Don't we put that onus on the business itself to make sure the employees they are hiring are going to be good employees?"
Sugerman said backgrounding medical marijuana employees didn't come up during the process of drafting the bill. "We need to get away from this notion that everybody who works in this industry is a criminal," he said. "It's just not true. As the industry grows and becomes more professional, it should be treated like any other business out there." Colorado, which has medical marijuana and last year legalized recreational marijuana, requires detailed financial and criminal background checks of facility owners, and a criminal background check of all employees. Ean Seeb, a marijuana business consultant and owner of a Denver medical marijuana center, said employees should undergo background checks. "If they are only vetting the owners, who is to say the integrity of their entire operation isn't going to be jeopardized by one individual?" Seeb said. "What you are dealing with, it's like jewelry," he added. "You are dealing with a high value commodity."
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Oregonlive.com
Author: Noelle Crombie
Contact: Contact Us | Oregonian Media GroupOregonian Media Group
Website: Medical marijuana in Oregon: Rob Bovett says dispensary law needs tweaks | OregonLive.com
