ONTARIO — Marijuana took up most of the discussion on the April 23rd Legislative Hotline, with state Sen. Ted Ferrioli expressing frustration with the slow pace of rule-making.
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Legislative Hotline is a monthly video conference with Ferrioli, District 30, and state Rep. Cliff Bentz, District 60, and local residents. It is hosted at the Ontario School District administrative office by the Ontario Area Chamber of Commerce.
Addressing issues raised by Ontario Mayor Ron Verini, Ferrioli said one of likely results of Measure 91 and the implementation measures being established is that Oregon medical marijuana cards will no longer be available to out-of-state residents.
However, “the rules don’t exist (yet)” he said. The rules are being written by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission for the recreational marijuana and the Oregon Health Authority will continue to regulate medical marijuana.
Ferrioli sits on the Joint Committee in the Legislature on implementing Measure 91 by Oregon voters allowing recreational marijuana. Local communities and counties can and will be able to regulate time, place and manner for growing, processing and dispensaries for marijuana — or to ban them outright (by local vote), and he will work to protect that right, he said.
Also, he said once the rules are in place growers, processors and dispensaries in Oregon will need to be licensed. The public will be able to know where they are located in a community. That would not include people who have private grows in their homes, he said.
Ferrioli is concerned that the rules, which are being written by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission are not expected to be complete until 2016, leaving the sale of recreation marijuana to the black market until then.
The senator from John Day gained some publicity when he proposed that medical marijuana dispensaries be allowed to sell recreational marijuana until the rules for sales are established.
Ferrioli said he wanted to keep the money from going to the black market. It was just an idea in a “blizzard” of ideas, he said, and does not know if it will be adopted.
Already, about 75 percent of the medical marijuana is leaking out into the recreational market, he said.
“Oregon is known as a national supplier,” Ferrioli said. “We have to stop the leakage.”
He expects the recreational marijuana to change the state, Ferrioli said, commenting that people will find themselves, “waking up on a new planet, this July when Measure 91 goes into affect.”
His main goal in being on the committee is to push for quicker setting of the rules.
“The state will be awash in marijuana cash,” he said. “Buckle up it is going to be a wild ride.”
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