Oregon may have only started allowing marijuana shops to sell to the 21 and over crowd last October, but the state made history on Friday by becoming the site of the first legal marijuana display open to the public.
The Associated Press reported that the display featuring live marijuana plants debuted at the Oregon State Fair. Nine plants were chosen for the display sponsored by the Oregon Cannabis Business Council. Plants displayed were not mature, meaning they were without flowers (buds). It’s currently illegal to transport flowering plants in Oregon. However, Donald Morse, director of the Oregon Cannabis Business Council, wants to change that for next year as he looks to get permission from fair authorities.
So no, attendees will not get high just from going to look at the display. People 21 and over with a proof of ID are the lucky ones who will get to enter. For those thinking about sneaking in, both the tent entrance and exit are being supervised.
Oregon recently reported it’s made $25.5 million in taxes from recreational marijuana since January 2016. If they’re anything like Colorado, we might just see that money put to good use. This year Aurora, Co. said it was taking $1.5 million from its marijuana sales tax and putting it towards services that assist homeless people.
Marijuana legalization advocates recently suffered a setback when the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) announced that it would still be classified as a Schedule I drug, a drug with a high possibility of being abused and that has no accepted medical use.