Although 23 states now allow marijuana to be sold in some form, the majority of them continue to class it as a band substance unless it’s for medicinal purposes.
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However, the law approved by voters last November gave the Oregon Liquor Control Commission until January 1, 2016 to implement regulations on production, processing, and commercial sale of marijuana.
According to the governor’s spokesperson, the bill was passed forward by implementation group after plenty of deliberation in both chambers and with bipartisan support.
While the law will reduce crime of illegal sales, it will also free police and courts from dealing with petty marijuana sales crimes. Adults will be allowed to purchase up to one-quarter ounce of cannabis per visit per day. Students and youngsters that use it as a casual recreational drug do not have to fear about arrest and jail for mere possession of the drug within prescribed limits.
But not for much longer, as the state’s Democratic Gov. Kate Brown signed a law on Tuesday allowing existing medical marijuana dispensaries to lawfully sell recreational marijuana beginning October 1, reports the Huffington Post.
State Senator Floyd Prozanski, a Democrat and another bill sponsor, said the state will keep the medical and recreational marijuana markets separate once the recreational shops are up and running. Until that happens, Oregonians can buy weed from medical dispensaries.
Dominic Corva, executive director of the Seattle-based Center for the Study of Cannabis and Social Policy, said Oregon’s short-term fix is more radical than the regulated approach taken by Colorado.
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Oregon joins Colorado, Washington, and Alaska as the states which has fully legalised the drug.
