Bill would allow Oregon to export marijuana to other states
Oregon has so much marijuana that it is going to lose a portion of its crops. Given that federal laws restrict interstate transport of the plant, selling products to neighboring states isn’t much of an option. However, lawmakers in the state are hoping to change this and have drafted a bill that should make it to the floor at some point in the upcoming season.
The bill would allow marijuana exports to other states where marijuana is legal. It is being created by lawmakers in conjunction with the Craft Cannabis Alliance (CCA) and already has backing by at least one senator, Floyd Prozanski.
If the legislation is approved, wholesalers in the state would be able to send cannabis products to other legal states, provided they didn’t pass through any non-legal states. In order to be authorized, the governors of the target states would have to sign off on deals, as well.
According to Adam Smith of the CCA, “There are plenty of markets that would be thrilled to have world-class cannabis. But prohibition keeps us from sending it into those markets.”
Not everyone thinks it’s a good idea, though. The president of the anti-marijuana group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Kevin Sabet, asserts, “I can’t imagine any state would agree to do this with Oregon. It looks like a desperate attempt to tackle the out of control black market production that has happened in Oregon since legalization. The state should be focusing on how to reduce overall demand and supply.”
