Ballot Measure 91: Guide to July 2015

Beginning July 1, 2015, Ballot Measure 91 will allow Oregon residents 21 years and older to possess, grow, and transfer cannabis. The rules are as follows:

1. Adults can possess up to eight ounces of marijuana in their homes, but may only possess up to an ounce of marijuana in public areas.

2. Individuals may not consume marijuana in public or while driving. This is true currently as well.

3. Persons over the age of 21 may also gift marijuana based on the following limits: an ounce of marijuana, 16 ounces of solid marijuana products, or 72 ounces of liquid marijuana products.

4. Adults over 21 may also cultivate up to four marijuana plants in their homes. However, these plants may not be visible to the public.

*This plant cultivation limit applies to households, not to individual persons. For example, four adults over the age of 21 may not grow four marijuana plants each for a total of 16 plants, but can only cultivate four total plants per the household.

5. Though adults can lawfully purchase marijuana extracts from licensed facilities, one important caveat of Measure 91 is its prohibition against homemade cannabis extracts. Specifically, no person can produce, process, keep, or store any homemade marijuana extracts. Furthermore, the home extract production using butane, hexane, and alcohol is prohibited.

6. As far as where adults may legally purchase recreational marijuana, Senator Ted Ferrioli is currently working on legislation that would temporarily allow medical marijuana dispensaries to sell retail marijuana beginning July 1, 2015. This concept is attached to Senate Bill 844 otherwise known as the OLCC technical bill.

While the amendments to SB 844 would potentially provide people a place to legally buy recreational marijuana, it is more likely that the state retail licensing system will not be active until sometime in 2016—meaning customers will not have any licensed dispensaries available until that time.