Wednesday, July 15, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
oregon takes
first steps
into era of
legal retail
marijuana
23
Nature’s own display...
photo by Jerry baldoCK
By Jeff Barnard
Associated Press
WILLIAMS (AP) —
Forty-two years after Oregon
became the first state to
decriminalize small amounts
of marijuana, the state is
taking its first steps along a
road leading to state-licensed
stores selling limited amounts
of it to anyone over 21.
“Oregon has long been
a pioneer on sensible mari-
juana policies,” said Anthony
Johnson, chief petitioner
on Measure 91, which on
Wednesday, July 1, made
Oregon the fourth state to
adopt laws legalizing recre-
ational use of cannabis for
people old enough to drink.
He added though that
he doesn’t expect much
increased demand for it.
Smoking it in public is ille-
gal, but in Portland police are
discouraging residents from
calling 911 to report smokers.
The Portland chapter of
National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws
posted on its website that it
would have a tent set up on
the west side of the Burnside
Bridge for a midnight count-
down to the end of marijuana
prohibition.
The site offers a big neon
sign in the shape of Oregon
as a background for selfies of
revelers who light up.
Adults will be allowed to
possess up to half a pound
and grow four plants, but not
to buy or sell it yet. It will be
a few months to more than a
year before it is legal to sell,
and then only with a state
permit.
The Legislature is consid-
ering a bill to allow medical
marijuana dispensaries to
start selling small amounts to
anyone over 21 on Oct. 1, in
order to get over the incon-
gruity of marijuana being
legal to have and to grow, but
not to buy.
The state-regulated retail
system is not expected to be
fully up and running until
late next year. Growers
are expected to be able to
start applying for licenses
in January, with permits
for processers, wholesalers
and retailers rolling out in
succession.
Growers are already gear-
ing up, particularly in south-
ern Oregon, long known as
a prime climate for outdoor
growing.
Mother Nature got into the act, displaying her own colorful tapestry over Sisters Country last week.