SALEM, Ore. — How much medical marijuana is in the pipeline in Oregon? The managers of the state’s program concede that they simply don’t know because of lax reporting by producers and a lack of site inspectors.
That, they say, creates opportunities for marijuana to be diverted into the lucrative black market, something that federal authorities have long complained about.
Oregon was one of the first states to legalize medical marijuana in 1998, and in 2014 voters approved allowing recreational use. The state’s struggle to transform a business that for decades had operated illegally in the shadows into a regulated industry sets an example for other states moving toward legalization.
In an internal review released late Thursday, the state’s Health Authority, which oversees the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, admitted it has not provided effective oversight of growers and others in the industry.
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