On Thursday, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission approved of a wide range of rules that would have the recreational marijuana industry launch as soon as next year. Thursday morning was committed to looking over 77 pages of rules that would meticulously note everything about the marijuana industry from security that will accompany growers to the information that will be put on the labels of the product.
Lawyers for both the commission and the Oregon Department of Justice used the day revising all the rules that ended up being approved by the board near the end of the day. A seed-to-sale tracking system on marijuana and its recreational market, along with other regulations, are going to be implemented in January. That is also the time that Oregon will start taking in applications for licenses.
There have been two main problems that have been especially tough for Oregonian policymakers to face: the first being production limits for cannabis growers and the second being the ownership rules for cannabis businesses. As for the first issue, there have been two tiers determined on both size and whether the plant is grown indoors and outdoors. A Tier I license for people who grow indoors allows growers to grow in an area of at least 5,000 square feet of space, A Tier II license would cover between 5,001 and 10,000 square feet of space.
For those who cultivate outdoors, however, a Tier I license would allow up to 20,000 square feet. Those who hold a Tier II license would be able to grow between 20,001 and 40,000 square feet. Producers, of course, argue that some of these limits are too low. Chairman of the commission and Klamath County district attorney Rob Patridge said on Thursday that there are definitely issues relating to production limits.
“It’s a tough issue, everybody,” Patridge said to a group of people in the commission conference room. “We don’t, at this point in time, have the data to make any right answer.”
