Beginning on October 1st registered medical marijuana dispensaries in Oregon will be able to sell limited marijuana products (seeds, dried leaves and flowers, and immature marijuana plants) to the general public. These products will only be allowed to be sold to people at least 21 years of age after their government issued ID has been verified. Medical marijuana dispensaries must notify the Medical Marijuana Dispensary Program at least 5 or more days in advance before beginning retail sales in order to sell limited recreational marijuana products. Additionally dispensaries must operate in accordance with OAR 333-008-1000 through OAR 333-008-1502; OAR 333-008-1500 to -1502 and a form to notify the Medical Marijuana Dispensary Program of intent to sell were released on September 24, 2015 at mmj.oregon.gov.
However if a dispensary is located in a city or county that has passed an ordinance prohibiting retail sales of marijuana or early retail sales the dispensary will not be eligible to participate in early sales. You can find a list of cities and counties that have opted out at mmj.oregon.gov. The use of delivery or courier services will also not be allowed. If your dispensary need to change it’s floorplan to accommodate retail sales, per OAR 333-008-1080, you are required to notify the Authority within 10 calendar days of any changes.
The final rules regarding early sales, including the notification form, and information on where to download the required posters were released on September 24 as well. You should have received an email notification when that information is available.
On Wednesday August 13th state officials announced that in November Ohioans will get the chance vote on a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana. Ohio will make history by becoming the first midwestern state and the fifth state overall (in addition to the District of Columbia) to legalize the recreational use of marijuana should the amendment pass. In addition to legalizing the use of up to one ounce of marijuana for adults 21 years of age and older the amendment will also legalize the use of medical marijuana and allow for limited amounts of home growing.
In a surprising twist after Oregon recently passed it’s recreational marijuana retail legislation, Oregonian adults will now be able to purchase recreational marijuana beginning October 1st, roughly a year earlier than had been expected. Last Tuesday, July 28th Governor Kate Brown signed a law that will allow for the sale of recreational marijuana in existing medical marijuana dispensaries just three months after Oregon’s new marijuana law was passed.
Governor Brown’s spokeswoman said in a statement that the measure, “is a smart solution to a short-term logistical problem...Oregon’s new recreational marijuana law went into effect in July 2015, but Oregonians couldn’t lawfully buy it anywhere for another year or more. If marijuana is legal to use, it shouldn’t be illegal to buy.”
Medical marijuana has had a tumultuous history in Florida, especially in recent months in light of the November rejection of Amendment 2, which would have legalized the use and distribution of the drug for medical purposes. That may be all about to change however thanks to a recent ruling from a Tallahassee judge. In fact Florida regulators anticipate that they will be able to provide access to a limited supply of a non-euphoric strain of the drug for medicinal use by the end of the year thanks to the dismissal of the final challenge to the bill back on May 27th.
“I am one happy legislator,” declared Representative Matt Gaetz, one of the original sponsors of the 2014 legislation that attempted to speed up development and cultivation of low euphoric inducing marijuana to help patients suffering from epileptic seizures, cancer, and other illnesses.
41 years ago when Valerie Corral began using homegrown marijuana as a method of treating her frequent grand mal seizures she never could have imagined the impact she would soon have on the lives of countless others. Slowly but surely over the course of two and a half years Valerie went from experiencing up to 5 seizures a day to 0 and even eventually got to the point where she no longer needed to take any of her prescribed medications. It was then that Valerie and her then husband Mike Corral decided to give back and try to help others with marijuana the same way that it helped Valerie.
In 1993 Valerie and Mike founded the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana in Santa Cruz, California to provide medical marijuana to seriously ill patients, who will benefit from the use of the drug like Valerie did, at little to no cost. Unlike traditional dispensaries WAMM’s 850 members receive the marijuana they need at little to no cost depending on their respective need and ability to donate. Patients who cannot afford to donate to the collective are encouraged to volunteer their time in exchange for access to the marijuana grown by WAMM. Volunteering for the collective could include anything from helping harvest the marijuana, to filling marijuana capsules, to organizing a yard sale to help raise money, to helping provide end-of-life care for the seriously ill. WAMM operates entirely off donations from both past and present members making their volunteers an integral part of the organization's success over the years.
“In California, WAMM is one of the only true collectives. People that partake in the medicine help grow the medicine. The whole process of cultivation is part of the healing and is part of the community,” added Amanda Reiman of theDrug Policy Alliance.
This business model however has presented WAMM with financial difficulties. And now confronted with the very real possibility of closing it’s doors forever WAMM is asking the community that it has served for over two decades for help.