The Oregon Liquor Control Commission released its timeline for implementation as part of its budget request for legal cannabis recently.

While possession and growing laws will change on July 1, 2015, residents will still have to wait some time to see the first legal recreational stores open. The timeline says the first retail licenses will be issued in October 2016.

It may seem like a long time to wait after voters approved recreational marijuana in Oregon in November 2014, but actually the timeline is pretty similar to Washington’s. Washington legalized in late 2012 and the first stores opened here in July 2014.

It remains federally illegal to cross state lines with recreational pot purchased in Washington (not that it stops many people), but at least when possession in Oregon kicks in people in the greater Portland metropolitan area will have a local place to shop (Clark County) until their stores come online. (And of course they’ll consume the product in Washington in a place that is out of public view on private property, right?)

Are you in Oregon? What are your plans once legalization begins? Let us know in the comments section!

Below is the timeline.

Cheers!
-SueVo (sue.vorenberg@columbian.com)

OLCC Timeline for Implementation (the full presentation is here: OLCC BUDGET REQUEST

July 2015
• Recreational marijuana use legal in Oregon

October 2015
• License Investigation staff hired and begin training

December 2015
• Online License System developed and turned over to OLCC

January 2015
• Deploy Online Traceability System live

January 4, 2016
• Begin receiving license applications
• Online Licensing System goes live

April 2016
• Issue first grower licenses
• Certify or license testing facilities

June 2016
• Issue first processor licenses

October 2016
• Issue first retail licenses