OMBC ( Oregon Marijuana Business Conference) Interview OLCC Chief Steve Marks

This is as good a set of answers / statements as you are going to read about Oregon’s regulated cannabis market.

Well worth a read.

Here’s the preamble from OMBC and we’ll then jump you to the the interview over at their site.

With all the goings on in Vegas this interview might get missed. We suggest you read it.

 

After the Measure 91 legalization initiative passed with over 56% of the vote, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), as the regulatory body in charge of implementing commercial cannabis rules for the state, had a big job in front of them. That task has forced the OLCC to make tough choices and adapt.

Much more has to be done, of course, but thousands of new jobs later, to go along with more than $85 million in new revenue for the state, I personally believe the OLCC has done a good job, all things considered. Full disclosure, I was Chief Petitioner of the New Approach Oregon campaign team that tabbed the OLCC as the regulatory agency.

OLCC Executive Director Steve Marks, the top cannabis and alcohol regulator in the state, was kind enough to answer a few of my questions, ahead of his appearance this weekend at the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference in Ashland, where a panel of OLCC regulators will present the latest information regarding licensing and compliance and answer attendees’ questions. We touch upon some challenges, successes, the Donald Trump Administration, and whether the future could include cannabis cafes like Amsterdam and a low-income program to assist medical marijuana patients in need.

Anthony Johnson: You were tasked with leading the implementation of rules a brand-new (regulated) industry in Oregon. Has anything surprised you about this new job?

Steve Marks: Every day was…and continues to be a surprise with the implementation of recreational marijuana in Oregon! But the most surprising thing when we started this effort, given the challenge, was the general lack of controversy. Then Chairman Rob Patridge’s leadership had a lot to do with that, so did having the Joint Marijuana Committee of the legislature with Senator Ginny Burdick and Representative Ann Lininger leading a bipartisan charge. And thanks to our decision at OLCC to tap into the industry’s expertise in Oregon to help frame the regulatory structure, the state was in a good position to launch this new era of controlled commercial legal marijuana production and sales.

Read the full interview over at   https://oregonmbc.com/olcc-chief-steve-marks-candid-conversation-cannabis-regulation-1/

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