This week, the OLCC announced a temporary increase in penalties for selling marijuana to minors. Sales to anyone under 21 will now result in a 30-day license suspension or a fine of $4,950 (for first-time offenders). This is a jump from the state’s previous 10-day suspension or $1,650 fine.
These rules take effect today, Jan. 26, and remain in effect for six months. In July, the OLCC will revisit its compliance data and determine a more permanent penalty structure.
The rule changes follow oversight operations conducted over the holidays by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to determine whether state-certified dispensaries were violating underage sales regulations. In late December, the OLCC found that dispensaries in Portland, for instance, clocked a 43-percent compliance rate on sales to minors. Elsewhere, in southern Oregon, dispensaries complied with sales regulations 67 percent of the time.
In December, OLCC conducted minor decoy operations across Oregon, & found that some licensed marijuana retailers are selling marijuana products to minors. https://t.co/e0zWcL8kbT
— OLCC (@OLCC) January 11, 2018
Beyond Portland and the southern Oregon region, the December 2017 sting results were closer to the state’s 100-percent compliance goal. In the Keizer-Salem region, the compliance rate was 78 percent; in Eugene-Springfield, 84 percent; and in central Oregon, 100 percent.
“These overall results are unacceptable,” Steve Marks, executive director of the OLCC, said earlier this month. “One of the basic tenets of Measure 91 is the protection of children by discouraging their use of marijuana. Oregonians who voted for legalizing recreational marijuana implicitly told the cannabis industry to abide by public safety laws. Clearly they’re not, and we need to continue this type of enforcement activity."
Three violations in a two-year period would result in license revocation.
“There’s no margin for error on making sure that marijuana doesn’t get in the hands of minors—period,” said Paul Rosenbaum, OLCC Commission Chair. “The integrity of Oregon's regulated system depends on industry compliance across the board.”
Top image courtesy of Adobe Stock
