We're always open! -- New Year, New Rules for Oregon Cannabis

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

Images provided by pixabay.com

Organic Marijuana: Fiction vs. Fact

Alright team, it's time to talk about Organic Marijuana. In the age where people are particularly concerned about the quality of what they eat or drink, it's no coincidence that the same concern applies to the quality of cannabis they smoke or ingest.

The term “organic” isn’t thrown around lightly. Food and beverage manufacturers go through arduous procedures and regulations when it comes to producing a product that can be deemed organic. An organic orange is by and far different from a normally produced orange. Now this isn’t to say that a non-organic orange is “unsafe”, but the quality of the product is noticeably different. Think of it this way; a Chevy Impala and a Ferrari 458 Italia are both cars that will get you from point A to point B, however there will be a difference in what you experience during that drive.

                       I’ll take the red one…

So it's no wonder that the same level of concern over quality applies to the booming marijuana industry in Oregon. As recreational use rises, so has the demand for high quality or “organic” marijuana. Dispensaries all over Oregon have begun to offer “organic” marijuana, and much to the users’ delight. High quality cannabis usually results in a high quality experience.

That said, “Organic” marijuana is not actually a thing. At all. It’s not real.

Now that’s not to say that high quality cannabis isn’t out there; quite the opposite. The Clean Green Certification and Certified Kind program is a new means of ensuring quality cultivation practices from growers, ensuring a high quality product for the consumers to enjoy. Their basis of testing for high quality cultivation is nearly identical to the practices of the USDA: Soil quality, pesticide use, environmental impact, etc. Plus, most smaller farming operations take care to produce a crop that they are proud of, something that they would enjoy consuming themselves.

No there is a different reason why “Organic” marijuana is not a thing. In order for a product to receive the Organic label, it must first go through a series of tests and certifications through the USDA. In short, to receive the Organic label, the producer must ensure that the product is:

• Produced without excluded methods, (e.g., genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge).

• Produced using allowed substances. (No synthetic soils, no harmful pesticides, etc.)

• Overseen by a USDA National Organic Program-authorized certifying agent, following all USDA organic regulations.

So why can’t these regulatory practices apply to marijuana? The USDA is prohibited from working with cannabis.

The USDA is a federal agency that oversees all organic labeling requirements, setting the standard across the US for producing Organic products. Now, being a federal agency, do you think the USDA is in a position to apply the same Organic labeling practices to marijuana? No way. The federal government still classifies marijuana as a schedule 1 narcotic, and as long as cannabis stays on as schedule 1, we will never see “Organic pot”.

So what does this mean for the consumer who seeks out only high quality cannabis. What about the driver who wants the Ferrari 458 and the 458 alone? This is where the Clean Green Certification and the Certified Kind program comes in. Independent from federal and state governments, these organizations provide the standardization and regulation processes similar to the USDA’s Organic labeling in order to ensure a high quality marijuana product produced under sustainable and “clean” practices. These programs check for:

• Use of organic cultivation methods

• Prevention of soil erosion and nutrient runoff

• Water conservation methods from a legal water source

• Carbon Footprint Reduction (CFR) program

• Fair trade/fair working conditions

• Legal compliance/non-black market

Each of these programs go above and beyond what the USDA requires for the organic label, and provide both standardization to the quality of cannabis products as well accountability to the grower. So those looking for “Organic” pot should seek out Clean Green Certified and Certified Kind strains and dispensaries (like Gorge Greenery!)

Recreational and Medical users alike need to be vigilant when they purchase their marijuana. Oregon is home to 400+ legal marijuana dispensaries, but any dispensary that claims they sell “Organic” marijuana should be given a second thought. This isn’t to say that their quality of cannabis is sub-par (quite the opposite; it’s probably pretty darn good if they call it “Organic”), but to call the product “Organic” is false advertising. The USDA will never put the true Organic label on cannabis, not until major change at the federal level is achieved. So when you’re shopping for your high quality bud, anybody claiming to have “Organic” weed is pulling your leg. If you want the quality experience, look for the Clean Green Certified or Certified Kind logo, and you’ll be on your way towards high quality elevation.

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Clean Green Certified!

We are now Clean Green Certified!!

Here at Gorge Greenery we never stop striving for the best, and are one of the few Clean Green Certified Dispensaries. From sustainable labels and packaging, reclaimed wood and recycled furnishing, to Clean Green Certified cannabis and gardens with extended pesticide screening, we are always striving to protect consumers as well as our environment.

Clean Green Certified is the number one certifier nation-wide for cannabis cultivated using sustainable, natural organically-based and biodynamic practices. Legally, marijuana cannot be called organic — no matter how environmentally friendly the cultivation practices used to grow it — because the term is federally regulated and the USDA does not recognize cannabis as a legitimate agricultural crop. The Clean Green Certified program was created in 2004 as a way to regulate legal cannabis-products that called themselves "organic." Consumers can rest assured when they buy a Clean Green Certified cannabis product that it has met all of the requirements of the rigorous program.

Modeled on national and international sustainability,  organic and biodynamic program standards, the Clean Green program requires on-site inspections. Clean Green Certified goes further that the USDA organic in some areas, requiring more strict regulations on pesticide testing for all operators and each cannabis operation must put into place a carbon footprint reduction plan, water conservation measures and fair labor practices.

Clean Green Certified has a certification specifically for cannabis processors and handlers. Whether it be a store-front or a cannabis concentrate company, certification audits the processor/handler's ability to keep Clean Green cannabis separate from cannabis grown conventionally. A consumer can have greater confidence when buying cannabis or a cannabis product from a Clean Green Certified outlet that it was grown fair-trade and sustainably, without the use of synthetic pesticides. 

Check out the Clean Green website here: www.cleangreencert.org

Trust your Bud- Gorge Greenery is Pesticide Free!

While this article was released in June earlier this year, it's come to our attention that many medical patients and recreational users alike are unaware of the serious risk of pesticides in Cannabis flower and products. Here at Gorge Greenery, we carry Clean Green Certified gardens and send everything out to OG Analytical (one of the trusted labs used in this study), for the most comprehensive pesticide screening capabilities in Oregon to ensure clean product every time.

"Dab Society Dutch Treat, a potent cannabis extract sold to medical marijuana patients, sailed through state-mandated pesticide testing. The results were printed on the label, backed by an official report. Workers at a Southeast Portland dispensary were happy to share the lab certificate. All you had to do was ask.

But, in fact, two laboratories commissioned by The Oregonian/OregonLive found pesticides in the same sample of Dutch Treat at levels above what the state allows.

It wasn’t an isolated case.

A combination of lax state rules, inconsistent lab practices and inaccurate test results has allowed pesticide-laced products to enter the medical marijuana market, The Oregonian/OregonLive has found.

Marijuana that fails a pesticide screen is not supposed to be sold to patients. But two other cannabis products in addition to Dutch Treat also tested above acceptable levels for pesticides.

The Oregonian/OregonLive shopped at Oregon dispensaries, bought cannabis that had passed pesticide tests and sent the samples to independent labs for further screening. Two labs performed the analysis: OG Analytical, a marijuana testing lab in Eugene, and Pacific Agricultural Laboratory, a Portland lab that specializes in detecting pesticides on foods and agricultural commodities. Both confirmed in blind testing the presence of pesticides that should have triggered red flags from previous labs."

Read the full article from The Oregonian/OregonLive HERE.

Gorilla Glue #4 is in the house!

We just released the 2014 LA Cannabis Cup winning hybrid strain: Gorilla Glue #4 a small batch grown organically with Nectar of the Gods, harvested and hand-trimmed with intimate care by Big Beard Farms! This winner is one every connoisseur, or as we say, "cannaisseur" needs to try!