This coming March medical marijuana dispensaries will be allowed to register their businesses in Oregon! Last month, the Oregon Health Authority posted their final rules update on state-wide dispensary regulation. This is great news for Oregon, since currently, dispensaries have not been regulated and business owners are not protected. In language the rest of us can understand, here's everything a dispensary owner would want to know about opening a medical marijuana business in Oregon and the new rules update.
1. Applying for your Dispensary License
On March 3rd, 2014 at 8:30 am the Oregon Health Authority will begin accepting applications to register your dispensary online through: mmj.oregon.gov.
Your Application
- Competing applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis
- All applicants must be an Oregon resident
- No one who has been convicted of a drug offense in the past five years will be allowed to register a dispensary
- People with more than one conviction are permanently banned from operating a dispensary
Steps:
- Fill out your application thoroughly and completely, as soon as they become available on the Oregon Health Authority's website. Be ready to include application fees, fingerprint cards, and all information needed for a criminal background check.
- Submit your application online.
- OHA will review each application for completeness. If your application is incomplete it will be returned, you can resubmit your application anytime but they will not reserve your application's place.
- If you plan on registering more than one location, you must submit separate applications per location and pay separate application fees per location.
Application Fees
Fees may be returned if application is returned, incomplete or denied. Or if an applicant withdraws an application.
Requirements for dispensary locations:
- Dispensaries may not be within 1,000 ft. of a school
- Dispensaries may not be within 1,000 ft. of another dispensary
- Dispensaries can only be in commercial, industrial, or agricultural areas
- Registration of a facility does not protect against possible criminal prosecution
- Your facility must be registered as a business or have a pending file to register as a business with the Office of the Secretary of State before you submit your application
2. Updates for Operating your Dispensary
- No minors will be allowed in any area of dispensary
- No consumption is allowed, unless an employee is a mmj patient
- Any consumption will be done in an enclosed room not visible to the public
- The Oregon Health Authority will visit and inspect each dispensary and audit financial records at least once a year.
- All marijuana must be tested for pesticides, mold, and mildew.
- Any medical marijuana with traces of contaminants cannot be sold.
3. Dispensary Equipment Requirements
All dispensaries in Oregon, must use state approved equipment in order to register their business. Here are some of Oregon's dispensary equipment requirements.
- Only marijuana scales approved by the Oregon Department of Agriculture will be allowed to weigh cannabis.
- Electronic records must be encrypted and securely stored with an electronic back-up system.
- Commercial grade, non-residential door locks are installed on every door
- Camera coverage for your dispensary is required:
- in all point of sale areas
- for your secure and restricted access areas
- all points of entry or exit
Securing your stash is important for all dispensary owners. Here are some of our best security tips on how to start a dispensary in Oregon.
- Keep your electronic records in a safe secure place, away from general employee access. Camera surveillance is required by Oregon law, make sure that all the records are also in a safe and secure place.
- Come up with a security strategy. Having a direct strategy will give you peace of mind when you can't be in your shop and make sure that you meet Oregon's requirements. Our dispensary POS surveillance solution directly combats some of the most common cases of theft in dispensaries.
- Get a high risk merchant account. Because the medical marijuana industry is new and not yet federally legal, banks are hesitant to do business with dispensaries. You might think that turning to an entirely cash based operation is your only choice but it can seriously make your health service vulnerable to theft, vandalism and a lower bottom line. Credit card processing through a high risk merchant account, safeguards your business against being a target.