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Tag Archive: Oregon

1. 78K Oregonians May Be Eligible to Have Marijuana Offenses Removed From Criminal Record

   November 13, 2015 4:51 am Leave a Comment

    

   That’s right. The Oregon State Police estimate (according to a report submitted to lawmakers earlier this year) that 78,300 marijuana offenses (convictions) may qualify under a new provision.

    

   Timothy Surprenant was convicted of growing marijuana in 2008, a felony he has to disclose over and over again when applying for jobs.

    

   A union mason who lives in Portland, Surprenant was kicked off one job after a manager learned of the conviction. He’s not allowed to work on federal projects or prisons. He’s not permitted to travel to Canada. He seriously considered training to become an X-ray technician but worried his conviction would trip up his chances of finding work.

    

   “There are jobs I can’t do because of having this felony,” said Surprenant, 42.

    

   The conviction, stemming from a medical marijuana grow much larger than what was allowed by law, is an embarrassment he thought he would never live down.

    

   Last week, Surprenant was one of about 68 Oregonians who applied to have old marijuana convictions sealed in a three-day event hosted by the Oregon Cannabis Association. While the process doesn’t erase those crimes from their records, it allows them to claim on an employment application or housing form that they’ve never been convicted of a crime.

    

   Oregon has long allowed people convicted of misdemeanors and some felonies to ask to have those convictions set aside or sealed. But the Oregon Legislature this year made two additional and significant changes to the way the state deals with marijuana: It reduced most marijuana-related offenses, including growing and selling cannabis, and made it easier for people to have old pot convictions set aside.

    

   Under the new law, when someone applies to have a previous marijuana-related conviction set aside, the court must consider how that person’s crime would be classified today.

    

   

    

   The change means that Surprenant and others who previously weren’t eligible to have old marijuana felonies set aside may now ask a state court to seal them.

    

   Read the entire article at Oregon Live.

2. Oregon Legalizes Recreational Pot

   July 13, 2015 6:50 pm Leave a Comment

    

   On Wednesday July 1st, history was made. Oregon became the fourth state to legalize recreational pot with Measure 91. Oregon joins Alaska, Colorado, Washington and the capital, Washington D.C. as trailblazers in the recreational marijuana legalization movement. Oregonians will not be able to purchase marijuana from a retail location until sometime later this year, but that hasn’t stopped people from celebrating the win.

    

   What you need to know for you next trip to Oregon:

   1. It is not yet legal for anyone but medical cannabis patients to purchase marijuana
   2. Adults 21+ can have up to 8 ounces of cannabis in private, and 1 ounce in public
   3. Adults 21+ can grow up to 4 plants on their own property
   4. No marijuana possession or delivery penalties for adults
   5. No felony for minors
   6. No buying, selling, or transporting recreational marijuana across state lines
   7. Rumors are swirling that a bill is likely to pass on October 1st that will let many of the 250+ marijuana dispensaries sell to all adults in Oregon
   8. Taxation won’t start until 2016 (tax-free for the last 3 months of 2015, boo-ya)
   9. As of right now, you can give away marijuana and receive it as a gift

    

   Oregon is setting a fast pace with a projected quick three month process of legality to sale (Washington took 18 months). Simultaneously, advocates are making moves for the legalization of recreational marijuana in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada to name a few.

    

   Which states do you think will see progress in 2016?

3. Feds Pressure Mbank to Close All Pot Shop Accounts

   April 13, 2015 2:53 pm Leave a Comment

   A bank based in Oregon was making a name for itself by being one of the few financial institutions that was working with cannabis retailers in the Pacific Northwest.

    

   When the bank opened an office in Colorado, the Feds stepped in. The bank was warned against it’s operations crossing state lines as marijuana is still illegal under federal laws.

    

   The difficulty of dealing with differing compliance laws proved too much and the bank decided to close about 75 accounts that were linked to marijuana dispensaries.

    

   This closure is sure to make other banks think twice before entering what will surely be a lucrative market down the road.