RECREATIONAL REGULATION

Now that the sale of recreational cannabis is legal in the state of Oregon, the government is required to roll out more regulations for the industry. One new requirement rolled out by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) forces workers in the recreational cannabis market to have valid Marijuana Worker Permits. Recreational cannabis businesses that are OLCC-licensed can include producers, processors, retailers, wholesalers or laboratories for cannabis, and all of their workers, whether they are part-time or full-time, are required to have a valid permit.

Requiring employees to obtain a Marijuana Worker Permit from the OLCC ensures that not just anyone can work within Oregon’s recreational cannabis industry. Applicants must be ages 21 or older, and they will have to submit information or finger prints for a criminal background check according to Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) to ensure they do not have any criminal convictions. While all workers in the cannabis industry must get a Marijuana Worker Permit, employees of Oregon Health Authority are exempt and do not need to have a permit. The application process requires a fee, and issued permits are valid for five years.

Applicants who have faced certain felony convictions will not be eligible to obtain a permit, and therefore they are unable to work legally in the recreational cannabis industry. Some of these convictions include a felony conviction of a violent crime dated within three years of the application date or a felony conviction for the delivery, manufacture of possession of a controlled substance within three years of the application date with an exception for cannabis convictions that date two years or older from the application date.

“Requiring employees to obtain a Marijuana Worker Permit from the OLCC ensures that not just anyone can work within Oregon’s recreational cannabis industry.”

The last felony charge that would disqualify an applicant would be that of a crime of dishonesty or deception dated three years of the application date. Some additional reasons an applicant may be denied a permit would be for having substance abuse problems, not having reputable moral character, among other disqualifications.

For convenience, workers are able to complete an application for their permit at www.oregon.gov. The applications can be submitted now, and Marijuana Worker Permits will be issued beginning on September 1. Applicants can also download the workbook for the Marijuana Worker Permit before submitting their application. This is important, because applicants must take a test and receive at least a 70 percent score to get issued a Certificate of Completion and Unique ID Number. From there, they can complete their application.

It appears this new permit application process was modeled similar to the licenses issued to cannabis industry workers in Colorado. According to Leafly, applicants in the state of Colorado must also be at least 21 years of age. Applicants must also be clear of any controlled-substance-related felonies for 10 years prior to their application date or five years after May 28, 2013.

With every legal market, we can expect the government to set regulations to help protect the industry and those who depend upon it. Let’s hope Oregon State laws only continue to regulate recreational cannabis in a fair and progressive way.