For several decades now, Oregon has been a very marijuana-friendly state. It was the first state to decriminalize cannabis in 1973. On November 3rd, 1998 medical marijuana became legal in Oregon. Voters of the state also endorsed Initiative 91, which passed in the November 2014 election. This made recreational marijuana legal for use, for anyone aged 21 and over. The implementation of recreational marijuana use, however, began on July 1st, 2015. The bill “SB-460” which also passed in the same month allows Oregon Marijuana Dispensaries to make sales to recreational users aged 21 over, and not just medical patients. As of July 1, 2015, the residents of Oregon State are allowed to grow up to four plants on their property, possess up to eight ounces of usable marijuana in their homes, and carry up to one ounce on their person. Although marijuana cannot be sold or smoked in public, Oregon was the first state to legalize medical and recreational marijuana delivery.
Oregon’s recreational marijuana legalization law, Measure 91, opened its highways to marijuana delivery. But the state had to create regulations before deliveries could be done. According to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), the first delivery sale in Oregon happened on Jan. 31, 2017, in Bend; Eugene had its first state-regulated marijuana delivery sale ten days later, on Feb. 10, 2017; and Springfield’s first delivery sale came about 6 months later on July 29, 2017.
The establishment of recreational dispensaries in California and other big states like Nevada is a clear indication that delivery departments of many marijuana companies will be handling a lot of tasks in the near future. But in Oregon, the OLCC set the procedure for marijuana delivery, establishing when and where deliveries may happen, and what information adults who want to purchase it must provide.
Listed below are the OLCC requirements:
- Marijuana plants or seeds are not allowed to be delivered. Daily purchase limits apply, and that includes 1 ounce of marijuana flower, 5 grams of concentrate, 72 ounces of liquid or a pound of pot-infused food.
- Marijuana may only be delivered to a house or an apartment on the private property. Deliveries are not allowed to dormitories, hotels, motels, bed, and breakfasts, or commercial businesses. Pot also is not allowed to be delivered to homes located on public land.
- Customers must provide their name and date of birth. Delivery personnel must check the identification of the customer upon delivery, verifying they are 21 or older.
- Orders for marijuana delivery may come into state-licensed retailers between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and the marijuana shop must fulfill the orders by or before 9 p.m.
- Retailers may only deliver marijuana to customers within the same city or unincorporated part of a county as the shop.
- Marijuana delivery vehicles are subject to OLCC rules, including:
- The retailer cannot carry more than $3,000 worth of marijuana products at a time.
- The marijuana must be carried in a lockbox that is affixed to the car or truck.
- The state also limits delivery to an address to no more than one per day, and retailers must not deliver to anyone who is visibly intoxicated.
Meanwhile, in Eugene, marijuana dispensary owners are weighing whether pot delivery services is worth the investment. Some pot stores claim that they have fully committed to deliveries, others are already considering to add the service option. But Lane County marijuana store owners and managers are in a tight spot and they are asking: “Is providing delivery service worth it?”
Mark Pettinger, spokesman for the OLCC’s marijuana program was reported saying, that “just like grocers are delivering groceries to people, it’s the same kind of service that folks are expecting.”
”Convenience, novelty, and the possibility of more sales, and customer demand drive shops to add delivery. Deliveries reach customers who might not want to come into a shop or are not able to visit”
Much needed information.