Oregon Bill Would Help Protect the Identities of Cannabis Customers

A bipartisan group of Oregon lawmakers proposed legislation that would require cannabis businesses to destroy customer’s personal information within 48 hours. The proposal was designed to protect the identities and private information of cannabis consumers. The bill was drafted amid fears of a federal crackdown on legal cannabis.

Shops in states that have legalized cannabis are required to check IDs and verify that a patient or customer is 21 or older. Many of Oregon’s cannabis shops retain private information in an internal log to facilitate special deals and promotions. Some cannabis shops have even retained driver’s license numbers in order to track product movement, complete with dates and purchase amounts. Under the new legislation, shops would be forced to delete names, birth dates, addresses and other personal information that is provided by their customers.

“I could see where the federal government would come in and try to gather this information from businesses that have stockpiled it and retained it in their records,” Democratic state Sen. Floyd Prozanski, told the Associated Press. “I think we as legislators have a duty to protect our citizens.”

Many customers avoid using the legalized cannabis system out of fear that their information will become exposed to others. Such a bill could fix problems for patients and recreational consumers who are also federal employees or those with a concealed weapons permit. Colorado and Alaska already prohibit shops from retaining private information. Keeping private consumer information is generally used purely for marketing purposes.

Oregon’s bill proposal is one of the first reactions in response to the White House spokesman Sean Spicer’s comments about the possibility of a federal crackdown on cannabis. “When you go to purchase a firearm, you have to fill out a background check, and there’s a specific question about marijuana use on that form,” said Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli, who is also a bill sponsor. “I would hate to think that some misguided effort at the federal level to coordinate the client lists that could be confiscated in absence of this (proposal) with the firearms purchase lists.” The bill is scheduled for its first hearing Tuesday.