Oregon has officially legalized cannabis for recreational use. Although it is legal there are still many questions. Here are the 5 most asked questions about the new laws.
1. How legal is legal?
Oregon has, arguably, the least restrictive regime in the county. At home, Oregonians can keep up to eight ounces — that’s half a pound! — of pot. It’s also now legal to grow up to four mature plants per residence. But be careful: Out on the streets, the legal limit in your pocket is only one ounce.
2. Does the law apply to out-of-staters?
Yes. Anyone 21 years and older can now get high.
3. Can I smoke in public?
Smoking in public is still verboten. You can’t toke up in the street, parks, bars or even the common areas of your apartment building. Public consumption is a class B misdemeanor, like a parking ticket, but punishable by up to a $1,000 fine.
4. Where can I score some good bud?
Here’s the catch-22. Although marijuana is now legal to possess and consume, you can’t buy it anywhere yet. Under Measure 91, the state’s liquor board is tasked with establishing retail stores for recreational pot, but that won’t happen, under the statute, until sometime in 2016. State legislators — eager to prevent a black-market boom — are now trying to accelerate that timetable to October. Under one proposal, the existing medical marijuana dispensary system would open to the general public. But for now, the only legal way to obtain pot is to beg some off a buddy, or get gifted a seed and start growing your own.
5. Since weed is legal in Washington state…Can I buy some there, cross the river and smoke it in Oregon?
Nope. No. Nuh uh. Although marijuana is now legal under state law, in neighboring states federal law still prohibits trafficking weed across state lines. Until legal weed, like same-sex marriage, becomes the law of the land, keep all pot activity in-state, or risk a run in with the Feds.