With the coming of the new year we are seeing new regulations in the ever evolving Cannabis industry. Let's talk through some of the new changes, and what that means for medical marijuana patients and recreational shoppers.

First off, we're still open!

In order to stay a recreational dispensary, marijuana businesses must be licensed with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC). The OLCC is the main governing body for all businesses associated with the recreational cannabis world, whereas the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) handles all medical marijuana dispensaries. All growers, processors and dispensaries in Oregon started on the OHA license, but in order to serve the public recreationally, they had to switch to the OLCC license. The deadline to make this switch was January 1st, 2017, so if you haven't made the switch before then, you can no longer sell marijuana recreationally. Gorge Greenery made the switch to the OLCC license back in October, so our doors are open.

Furthermore, during this years election, Hood River residents voted to approve a 3% tax increase on recreational marijuana, bringing the current rate to 20%. This 3%, however, goes directly towards the city of Hood River and is not a part of the 17% that is paid to the Oregon government as a whole. To give some insight here: Washington's cannabis tax sits at 37%, and Colorado's is around 30%, depending on what part of the state you live in. Oregon currently has the lowest marijuana tax in the country.

New rules and limits for Medical Marijuana Patients

With all the rapid changes with recreational cannabis, where does this leave the medical marijuana patient? Members of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) have been feeling understandably frustrated as more and more growers, processors, and dispensaries switch to the recreational marketplace. Fortunately, there are still provisions set in place to accommodate OMMP patients that the Greenery is able to offer.

Oregon Medical Marijuana Patients:

Are exempt from the 20% cannabis tax.
Can purchase up to 24 ounces of dried usable cannabis. (Recreational users are limited to one ounce.)
Can purchase edibles with a THC content higher than 50mg.

The Grön dark chocolate bites are 75mg THC each. Available to medical patients only.

The world of legalized marijuana is an exciting yet tumultuous place. We are all venturing into uncharted territory, and keeping up to date on all the new rules and regulations can be a difficult and confusing process. That said, we here at Gorge Greenery make it our mission to stay as up to date on all the latest news and current events as possible, so if you ever have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask. We'll be here.

Have a question? Email us here at info@gorgegreenery.com

Message us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GorgeGreeneryHoodRiver/

OLCC Recreational Marijuana Homepage: http://www.oregon.gov/olcc/marijuana/Pages/default.aspx

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