Pubdate: Mon, 15 Jul 2013
Source: Herald, The (Everett, WA)
Copyright: 2013 The Daily Herald Co.
Contact:  http://www.heraldnet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/190

OREGON DISPENSARIES OK'D, BUT DETAILS STILL ELUSIVE

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Oregon Legislature just put the state
medical marijuana program in the plant-inspection business.

But that's not all. Under a broad set of authorities granted by the
passage of a bill approving medical marijuana dispensaries, the state
program will soon also run background checks, conduct on-site safety
inspections and perform financial audits.

It's all part of a legislative effort aimed at legitimizing the
hundreds of Oregon dispensaries already operating in a legal gray
area. As part of the bargain, the dispensaries will now submit to the
same kind of scrutiny - and paperwork - as other types of businesses.

"There are many (dispensaries) right now that are paying taxes, paying
worker's comp, taking care of employees," said Oregonians for Medical
Rights lobbyist Geoff Sugarman, who drafted the bill. "The responsible
thing to do for patients is to regulate these facilities."

Gov. John Kitzhaber is expected to sign the bill, which was passed by
the Oregon House on July 6.

Under the new system, a patient gives a grower or caregiver permission
to take excess marijuana to a dispensary, which will reimburse the
grower for the expense of cultivating the plant and distributing the
pot.

The dispensary then charges the patient, though those costs aren't
necessarily the same number.

In a new twist on the current system, growers will also be able to
charge for their labor. Specifically, "transferring, handling,
securing, insuring, testing, packaging and processing usable marijuana
and immature marijuana plants and the cost of supplies, utilities and
rent or mortgage."

That has opponents to the dispensary system alarmed. State Rep. Andy
Olson, R-Albany, said he agrees marijuana has a medical use, but said
the bill approving dispensaries will lead to widespread abuse.

"HB 3460 allows operators to set their own prices!" Olson said in a
letter urging Kitzhaber to veto the bill. "Even currently it is being
sold at a profit."

Much about the Oregon dispensary system remains uncertain, because the
Legislature gave the state marijuana program broad latitude for
writing the dispensaries' rules and a March deadline for doing it.

For one, the process by which the dispensaries will be audited is
unclear. The bill directs the dispensaries to maintain records of
transactions - what they spent, what they spent it on and who their
customers are.
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MAP posted-by: Matt