The state agencies overseeing the Oregon marijuana industry eased some testing requirements Friday but stuck to rules that take effect today on labeling and packaging for marijuana products.
Marijuana dispensaries may continue selling products they received before today, without labels and packaging approved by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, provided they meet the requirements set by state regulations. That means some dispensary owners had their employees removing and replacing the labels on products in their shops in order to meet the deadline.
Also today, more stringent testing standards and a requirement that testing labs be certified and licensed by the state take effect. However, the OLCC and Oregon Health Authority announced Friday that to relieve a backlog at testing laboratories, they will permit a smaller number of batches from each marijuana harvest to be tested for pesticides.
OLCC Executive Director Steve Marks said pesticide testing will be monitored weekly and the agency expects to return to a full regime of marijuana testing as more labs are certified and licensed.
Were hoping that time frame is four to six weeks, Marks said in a conference call Friday, but that will be based on testing lab capacity and reporting.
The temporary rules remain in effect until March 1, according to an announcement by the Oregon Health Authority. Another change the OLCC imposed Friday: no more marijuana strains allowed in dispensaries with names like Girl Scout Cookies, Jedi Kush or Candy Land, names that may be attractive to children. The commission reviewed about 500 names of marijuana strains; fewer than 20 were found objectionable, according to an OLCC bulletin.
Its a community issue Marks said, it came to us from the community.
Many marijuana business owners were still working to meet labeling requirements Friday. In some cases, retailers said they planned to relabel their products with generic labels in time for sales beginning today. Also starting today, the state requires that marijuana products sold in dispensaries must be packaged in approved, child-resistant containers.
Everybodys scrambling and really busy, said Ben Hebert, owner of Dr. Jollys, a medical marijuana dispensary on SE Third Street in Bend. Theres a lot to keep up with when youre trying to run a business and get it right. Well do a bunch of business planning, and then theyll change the rules.
The OLCC on Thursday also approved the first 26 retail recreational marijuana licenses in Oregon, including Dr. Jollys and Oregrown, on NW Wall Street, in Deschutes County. Neither have activated their licenses, meaning they still operate as medical marijuana dispensaries. Approved dispensaries that pay a $4,750 fee for an OLCC license must surrender their health authority registration as a medical marijuana dispensary.
Hebert said that before activating his retail license, he must obtain a license for his marijuana growing operation and make sure his other suppliers are also licensed in order to maintain a reliable supply. Licensed recreational retailers may only accept marijuana products from other OLCC-licensed producers, processors and retailers.
A lot of local farms, theyre either going through zoning issues, or some people are just holding out, Hebert said Friday. Larger companies are saying were going to stay in medical (marijuana business) for a little while.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: OLCC Tweaks Pot Testing Rules
Author: Joseph Ditzler
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Photo Credit: David McNew
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