When representatives from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission stopped in Bend as part of their listening tour, one of the concerns raised by those in attendance was that the local market would be flooded with people from other states, including everyone's favorite scapegoat: Californians.
Starting next year, the Oregon Health Authority will limit the ability of out-of-state folks to buy and grow medical marijuana. Oregon Live reports that the OHA will cease approving medical marijuana cards for out-of-state patients starting on January 1. This change will bring Oregon in line with other states where medical marijuana is legal.
And of July 1, new growers of medical marijuana will be required to show two years of in-state residency. Existing growers will be grandfathered in.
Oregon Live notes that, currently, some 1,900 Oregon patients (including Willie Nelson) list out-of-state addresses—about 2.6 percent of the total patient rolls. As for growers, about 630 are from other states. In both cases, most out-of-state folk taking advantage of Oregon's medical marijuana market are from neighboring states, including California, Washington, and Idaho.
The most striking example of this out-of-state influence, according to Oregon Live, is that the largest Oregon grow site serves 104 patients—all from California.
