Legalizing Weed: 4 Quotes From Lawmakers After Pot Became Legal in Oregon

Thanks to a voter initiative, starting July 1 under Oregon law, a person can legally possess marijuana for recreational use. The Oregon Liquor License Commission will control all aspects of regulation, from taxing, licensing and regulating recreational weed.

Marijuana will be available on retail shelves in 2016, for approved stores, to individuals 21 and over. The new law will allow for possession of up to eight ounces of marijuana and four plants per residence in Oregon. Individuals can also carry up to one ounce in public, but public consumption is not permitted.

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Here's what several lawmakers are saying regarding the subject:

1. Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, isn’t happy about his state’s slow move to making weed available legally, noting he thinks it will lead to black market purchases without dispensaries in place, according to The Oregonian.

"What we are telling those folks is keeping buying in a parking lot or alley because we won't have a regulatory framework until 2016," he said.

2. Regulation still raises questions for Oregon citizens, reports the Union Bulletin.

“Of the issues that relate to both medical marijuana and recreational, the Legislature is going to try to take a very early approach to vet those out, and then hand over early to OLCC in their rule making process what we’ve been able to figure out and they will take it from there,” said Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland.

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3. Though weed will be legal in the state this summer, some lawmakers have concerns about the forms it will come in, particularly edibles, the Portland Tribune reported.

“They’re going to do everything they can to appeal to kids,” Sen. Fred Girod, R-Lyons, referencing pot producers and retailers.

“It’s the same way the tobacco industry used to be a long time ago. That’s why I think the agency needs to be on top of that segment of it, and hopefully ban some of those products that are really geared toward kids.”

4. Whether or not out of state businesses can be part of the marijuana marketplace in Oregon remains a question, according to the East Oregonian.

“There have recently been a lot of questions about the residency requirement, and whether we’re on strong legal ground with our residency requirement,” committee co-chair Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, said. “And that’s contemplated for the future recreational bill that will be coming.”

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