WILLIAMS, Ore. — On the third Thursday of each month, veteran medical marijuana growers and hopeful newbies gather in the old Williams Grange hall in a small rural Oregon valley long known for growing some of the best cannabis on the planet.
Since voters last fall made the state the fourth to legalize recreational marijuana, people have been flocking to the hall to get updates on lawmakers’ progress on crafting rules for the new industry.
While the pot law will go into effect Wednesday, the day may pass without much fanfare in the state, which was the first to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana in 1973. Smoking it in public is illegal, but Portland police are discouraging people from calling 911 to report smokers.
Adults will be allowed to possess and grow limited amounts of marijuana, but not to buy or sell it. It will be a few months to more than a year before it is legal to sell, and then only with a state permit.
In the old Williams Grange, expectations of pot prosperity drew about 75 people to the most recent growers’ guild meeting. Many dropped $10 into a donation box.
Attorney Paul Loney told the gathering that if the Legislature authorizes medical marijuana growers to sell to dispensaries for retail sales starting Oct. 1, growers need to be sure they get a transfer form signed by the patient they grow for.
Just what the regulated retail cannabis industry in Oregon will look like continues to be a moving target. A bill would allow medical marijuana dispensaries to start selling small amounts to retail customers starting Oct. 1, with supplies coming from medical growers.
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which will oversee retail sales and production, plans to start taking applications from growers in January, so permits can be awarded in time for spring planting. Permits for processors, wholesalers and retailers would roll out in succession, allowing retail sales to start late in 2016.
