Corvallis marijuana dispensaries and state agencies are scrambling to ensure recreational marijuana retailers see a smooth transition when new rules take effect Jan. 1.
Saturday marks the end of limited retail sales from the Oregon Health Authority, which began in October 2015 following the statewide passing of Measure 91. On Jan. 1, recreational sales and licenses will be governed under the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. For medical dispensaries interested in continuing recreational sales seen as a much more lucrative business than medical sales alone that meant a rush to file applications, meet requirements and pay fees before Sunday’s deadline.
Mark Pettinger, spokesman for the OLCC Recreational Marijuana Program, said the organization is working to approve hundreds of applications around the state. This week alone, 50 staff members were processing more than 100 applications for approval in the coming days, he said.
Its a challenging time right now, Pettinger said. There are a lot of moving parts to all of this.
As of Thursday morning, 10 retailers in Benton County have applied for OLCC licensing, and of those, three had received approval to continue selling in the New Year The Green Room, The Agrestic and Beaver Bowls. Statewide, OLCC has received 511 retailer applications with 165 of those retailers approved for active licenses.
Kayla Dunham, owner of The Agrestic in Corvallis, is holding a grand opening Sunday of a new location at 1945 N.W. Ninth St. to coincide with the new law. The Agrestic received active approval from OLCC on Tuesday for the new location.
There is always worry when what youre trying to do is in the hands of someone else, Dunham said. And especially with these bureaucratic agencies, but every experience Ive had so far with the OLCC has shown us they are motivated.
Theyve been extremely fast with their processing, she said. They seem to have a lot of devotion to making sure things happen in the right way.
Likewise for Daniel Lareau, co-owner of The Green Room; their 2521 N.W. Ninth St. location received approval and activation Thursday morning.
OLCC has been super-easy to work with, Lareau said. They were really on top of it to help us get approved real quickly. Its been a real smooth process.
Lareau said the store is closed Sunday, but it will open for recreational sales under the OLCC license Monday and has added an extension to the Ninth Street location.
Weve applied to OLCC for tax-exempt status for (medical marijuana) card holders, so right now there are some things our patients wont be able to get things from us, he said. But that should be temporary.
The process has not been as smooth for some other Benton County dispensaries: OLCC reported at least six retailers were still waiting for approval this week. Several Corvallis dispensary owners said this week they are unlikely to receive approval by Sunday, but they expect to receive approval shortly.
Representatives with the California Cannabis Club at 220 N.W. Second St. said Thursday they have applied and expect to have an active license in the coming days.
Elise Warren, owner of High Quality Compassion at 1300 N.W. Ninth St., said she has done everything she can for her application and anticipated receiving approval sooner rather than later.
This whole process has just kind of been a bureaucratic mess, Warren said. But I feel comfortable knowing weve done everything we can.
Warren said shes not discouraged that the business could have to stop recreational sales on Sunday and potentially lose business to other dispensaries.
I think its a storm that can be weathered, Warren said. If anything, Im happy some of our regular customers can visit other places. Now they can see why they like us in comparison.
Warren said the addition of recreational sales has been a boon for the business and that the company would not be able to continue in the same way if it reverted back to medical sales exclusively.
Unless we had massive layoffs, we wouldnt be able to choose medical over recreational, Warren said. More than 75 percent of people we see are recreational customers.
Todd Dalotto, a cannabis consultant and owner of Albanys CAN! Research Education and Consulting, said its possible several local retailers could lose out on a lot of business in the coming weeks.
Businesses that are able to get OLCC licenses will obviously be in the best position for the time being, because other retailers are going to be stuck with just the medical dispensary, which is not as big of a business, Dalotto said. It could be weeks for some (to get approval), but this could all change if OLCC approves the licenses.
Dalotto said one other possible hurdle is that many recreational producers are also waiting for licensing approval, so dispensary stock is likely to be low for the next few weeks.
Youre not going to see a lot of processed material on dispensary shelves, he said. They will have more herbal flowers, but processed products have been increasing in demand at dispensaries. This is really unfortunate because its coming at a time when sales should be very vibrant. Theres a lot working against businesses in the industry right now. A lot of businesses could fail because of this.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Marijuana Dispensaries, State Work To Continue Recreational Sales
Author: Nathan Bruttell
Contact: 541-753-2641
Photo Credit: Anibal Ortiz
Website: Corvallis Gazette-Times
