Robert Celt
New Member
Representatives with the Oregon Cannabis Association visited the Oregon State Capitol in Salem last week to testify regarding residency requirements for marijuana growers and other issues in the marijuana community.
The group is seeking to end residency requirements, which require that any Oregon business dealing with legal marijuana bust be at least 51 percent owned by an Oregon resident. They also look to expand access for patients who still require medical marijuana for their treatment.
"While we recognize that there are many tweaks to the recreational and medical licensing programs ahead of us, the Oregon Cannabis Association looks forward to working with the committee to address two key priorities for the 2016 session," Amy Margolis, the organization's executive director, told lawmakers.
"Enabling expanded access for OMMP patients through OLCC licensed businesses, and addressing the unintended impact that the Legislature's original residency requirement and subsequent OLCC 51% requirement has had upon the cannabis business community as it seeks to meet the state's regulatory structures related costs while attracting investments necessary for long-term growth."
Residency Requirements
As GoLocal reported, the Oregon Cannabis Association is working to repeal all residency requirements pertaining to ownership of a marijuana related business in Oregon.
The group said that the laws make it difficult for smaller, family-owned business to attract outside investors and could also be a civil rights issue.
"The Oregon Cannabis Association strongly supports repealing all residency requirements for investors in cannabis businesses," Margolis said. "Our members have always opposed residency requirements because they have the unintended effect of making it more difficult for smaller, local and family owned businesses to attract investors. Residency requirements also increase barriers faced by Oregon businesses owned by women, people of color, and others who have traditionally had limited access to capital."
Medical Marijuana Access
The group also told lawmakers that they were glad to see Congress is taking up the issue of expanding access for medical marijuana patients.
Margolis said that the currently separation of medical and recreational marijuana facilities leaves medical patients at a serious disadvantage.
"We do not believe it is necessary or desirable to force business owners to choose between preserving The Oregon Cannabis Association is a non-profit professional association representing cultivators, processors, edible makers, dispensaries, and allied businesses including laboratories, security and transportation companies, and providers of legal and financial services to cannabis-related businesses throughout Oregon," Margolis told lawmakers.
"That access and making what is really the only viable business decision for many current dispensary owners and cultivators, which is to pursue a recreational license. We point to the current landscape in which, thanks to this Committee's work last year, dispensaries are successfully serving both medical and adult-use customers without duplicative licensing. Let's work together to adjust the regulatory model appropriately to fit the reality of what best serves patients, recreational customers, and our communities.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Oregon Cannabis Association Testifies At State Capitol
Author: Staff
Contact: GoLocalPDX
Photo Credit: None found
Website: GoLocalPDX
The group is seeking to end residency requirements, which require that any Oregon business dealing with legal marijuana bust be at least 51 percent owned by an Oregon resident. They also look to expand access for patients who still require medical marijuana for their treatment.
"While we recognize that there are many tweaks to the recreational and medical licensing programs ahead of us, the Oregon Cannabis Association looks forward to working with the committee to address two key priorities for the 2016 session," Amy Margolis, the organization's executive director, told lawmakers.
"Enabling expanded access for OMMP patients through OLCC licensed businesses, and addressing the unintended impact that the Legislature's original residency requirement and subsequent OLCC 51% requirement has had upon the cannabis business community as it seeks to meet the state's regulatory structures related costs while attracting investments necessary for long-term growth."
Residency Requirements
As GoLocal reported, the Oregon Cannabis Association is working to repeal all residency requirements pertaining to ownership of a marijuana related business in Oregon.
The group said that the laws make it difficult for smaller, family-owned business to attract outside investors and could also be a civil rights issue.
"The Oregon Cannabis Association strongly supports repealing all residency requirements for investors in cannabis businesses," Margolis said. "Our members have always opposed residency requirements because they have the unintended effect of making it more difficult for smaller, local and family owned businesses to attract investors. Residency requirements also increase barriers faced by Oregon businesses owned by women, people of color, and others who have traditionally had limited access to capital."
Medical Marijuana Access
The group also told lawmakers that they were glad to see Congress is taking up the issue of expanding access for medical marijuana patients.
Margolis said that the currently separation of medical and recreational marijuana facilities leaves medical patients at a serious disadvantage.
"We do not believe it is necessary or desirable to force business owners to choose between preserving The Oregon Cannabis Association is a non-profit professional association representing cultivators, processors, edible makers, dispensaries, and allied businesses including laboratories, security and transportation companies, and providers of legal and financial services to cannabis-related businesses throughout Oregon," Margolis told lawmakers.
"That access and making what is really the only viable business decision for many current dispensary owners and cultivators, which is to pursue a recreational license. We point to the current landscape in which, thanks to this Committee's work last year, dispensaries are successfully serving both medical and adult-use customers without duplicative licensing. Let's work together to adjust the regulatory model appropriately to fit the reality of what best serves patients, recreational customers, and our communities.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Oregon Cannabis Association Testifies At State Capitol
Author: Staff
Contact: GoLocalPDX
Photo Credit: None found
Website: GoLocalPDX
