Adults in the state of Oregon will be allowed to legally buy recreational marijuana starting Oct. 1, which is a year ahead of schedule. Gov. Kate Brown signed a law on Tuesday permitting the sale of recreational marijuana in already up and running marijuana shops, starting only 3 months after Oregon’s reformed pot law went into action.
The measure “is a smart solution to a short-term logistical problem,” Kristen Grainer, Brown’s spokeswoman, said to the Huffington Post. “Oregon’s new recreational marijuana law went into effect in July 2015, but Oregonians couldn’t lawfully buy it anywhere for another year or more. If marijuana is legal to use, it shouldn’t be illegal to buy.”
The new marijuana law permits those 21 and over to legally purchase up to a quarter of recessional marijuana a day at dispensaries. Marijuana users also may purchase seeds and up to four nonflowering marijuana plants. The 25 % state tax on cannabis sales will not start until Jan. 4, so early buyers can purchase their newly legal marijuana tax-free for a few months.
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission, charged with regulating and watching the industry, will give licenses to new recreational marijuana at a later time. Those dispensaries, which will be allowed to sell up to 28 grams per transaction, are most likely to open before the end of 2016.
