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The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) reached a decision to allow Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) dispensaries to sell any existing product that doesn’t meet the new rules that rolled out October 1.

The decision came Friday, September 16 and will allow medical cannabis dispensaries to become OLCC recreational cannabis retail licensees. The retail licensees would then have until March 1, 2017, to sell their current inventory, whether or not it meets the new outlined regulations set by the OLCC.

CULTURE was able to connect with Mark Pettinger, who is the Spokesperson of the Recreational Marijuana Program for the OLCC. He shared the many reasons the OLCC started to consider allowing retail licensees to sell their existing product. Pettinger explained how as producers are going through the system of regulation, retailers were concerned there would not be enough flower or processed cannabis for them to sell. With this, very few retailers showed interest in moving over to the OLCC retail side, which in turn led to this decision.

“You know there are people at various license categories trying to determine or decide their timing for entering the market based on who else was there and certainly if in their mind there weren’t going to be enough retailers to sell their product, then they were going to wait until there were.”

“Because the way the rules read for dispensaries is that they were going to be able to sell off their existing inventory including sales to recreational customers until they basically depleted their inventory. They could then at any time thereafter convert to an OLCC licensed retail operation,” Pettinger explained. “But that was complicated in the fact that essentially you have to deplete your whole existing inventory and then get new inventory that meets the criteria and the rules for the new regulated market.”

Now that dispensaries are able to become OLCC retail licensees without having to first deplete their current stock of cannabis and cannabis products, the various cannabis-related businesses will have an easier time transitioning, while consumers will not find a shortage of cannabis.

“It sort of ensures that we have both ends of the pipeline in the supply chain addressed,” Pettinger shared. “So hopefully that will allow more product to flow through.”

A press release from the OLCC explains how the new program will work. Chair of the OLCC Rob Patridge said, “This change will speed an orderly transition of the market as we move to safer testing, seed-to-sale product tracking and revenue stability.”

Transferred OMMP inventory will be recorded in Oregon’s Cannabis Tracking System (CTS) and will be required to have a label market, “Does Not Meet New Testing Requirements.” The inventory must also be in child-resistant packaging or a child resistant “exit” bag. The OLCC is working with consumers, dispensaries and producers to ensure the recreational cannabis industry moves forward without any major hiccups.