SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Hash brownies, space cakes and other
pot-laced munchies won’t be among the items allowed at Oregon medical
marijuana dispensaries, state officials said, and that’s drawn criticism
from pot-shop advocates.
The Oregon Health Authority released
draft rules late Wednesday for medical-pot dispensaries to follow when
they open as early as next week under a new law. Although medical
marijuana will be available at the dispensaries, the agency wants to ban
sweets containing the drug because they could be attractive to young
people.
But dispensary advocates said patients who take the drug
orally need the sweetened pot products. They say a little sugar helps
the bitter medicine go down.
"It just stinks," said Gary Stevenson of Portland.
Stevenson,
who has cancer, said he prefers to take the marijuana in food because
it’s more potent and longer-lasting. As a member of the group
Oreginfused Kitchen, he also makes and distributes the types of
pot-infused foods that would be banned at dispensaries.
He said he doesn’t want to go underground. "I’m striving for legitimacy," Stevenson said.
The
regulations are designed to implement the bill SB 1531, which the
Legislature passed earlier this month and Gov. John Kitzhaber signed
into law on Wednesday. The law allows local governments to block medical
marijuana stores in their communities until May 2015. It also lets the
health agency set rules requiring child-safe packaging and prohibiting
products that it determines could be appealing to children.
Scott Grenfell, general manager of an already existing dispensary, said he has no problem with that part
of the new rules.
But
Grenfell called "stunning" the proposed rule that would ban from
dispensaries all marijuana-infused products in the form of "cake-like
products, cookies, candy, or gum, or that otherwise may be attractive to
minors because of its shape, color, or taste."
Edible products
are "a good chunk" of his business, and some patients can only take
marijuana in edible form, he said. Grenfell has applied for a license
for his dispensary under the new law but has not yet received a reply.
Tom
Burns, director of pharmacy programs at the health agency, said the
rules were written under the "strictest interpretation" of the new law
and "as broadly as we could."
Burns said the rules could change in
the next few days. He’s taking public feedback on them — and a lot of
it — but "I’m not sure what I’m going to do."
He said he needs to
get the rules in place for dispensary owners as soon as possible because
the agency is already in the process of issuing dispensary licenses.
Lauren Cusick, also with Oreginfused Kitchen, said the no-munchie rule would "hurt patients more
than it’s going to help kids."
It
was already affecting her business. One of her clients turned away a
delivery Thursday because they didn’t want to have the products on the
shelf if they became illegal, she said.
Stevenson, whose products
are in 11 shops in the Portland area, said he plans to make his
packaging so unappealing he might add a "Mr. Yuk" sticker.
"Children in pre-school know (the sticker) means stay away," Stevenson said.
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Reach reporter Chad Garland on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/chadgarland.
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