Oregon Pushes Up Date for Recreational Marijuana Sales to October 1

Oregon residents age 21 and older will be able to legally buy recreational marijuana starting on October 1, instead of late 2016 as had been expected, The Huffington Post reports.

Governor Kate Brown signed a law this week that permits the sale of recreational marijuana in existing medical marijuana dispensaries.

Recreational marijuana became legal in Oregon on July 1. People 21 and older can possess up to eight ounces of marijuana at home and an ounce of marijuana when away from home. According to the legalization measure passed by Oregon voters in November, up to four marijuana plants can be grown per household.

The law “is a smart solution to a short-term logistical problem,” Kristen Grainger, Brown’s spokeswoman, told The Huffington Post. “Oregon’s new recreational marijuana law went into effect in July 2015, but Oregonians couldn’t lawfully buy it anywhere for another year or more. If marijuana is legal to use, it shouldn’t be illegal to buy.”

The 25 percent state tax on marijuana sales will not begin until January 4, the article notes.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which will regulate and monitoring the state’s marijuana industry, will issue licenses to new recreational marijuana retailers. These retailers will be permitted to sell up to one ounce per transaction. They are likely to open before the end of 2016, according to the article.

Alaska also voted to legalize recreational marijuana in November. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Oregon and Alaska follow Colorado and Washington state, which legalized recreational use of marijuana in 2012.