Post OLCC Meeting Summary
OLCC RAC MEETING WORTH ATTENDING!
We want to thank everyone that showed up to support our efforts to raise the patient voice and to Restore the 24.
We packed the room! Everyone there did a great job. The green and red cards Andrew brought were in full view and helped support those at the table. You can tell from this meeting there is a lot of passion from the cannabis community especially when fighting for patients.
Patient advocates, industry and others invited to provide feedback by the OLCC were in favor of a full repeal of the rule and had a hard time getting through to the OLCC that 24 oz. purchases from patients are justified and legitimate. Many argued that multiple purchases of larger amounts is what patients need. This is especially true if they are making other cannabinoid products such as tinctures, healing balms and lotions, and oils.
This concept seemed hard for the OLCC to grasp and the more the panel members insisted it was acceptable the harder the OLCC contended it could not possibly be so.
Many at the table raised the issue of OLCC’s role in limiting patient access in the first place. It was also emphasized that patients have lost their growers and have been forced into OLCC stores and are now being told they can only buy a very limited amount on a daily basis. This is no different than in the OHA dispensaries being unable to meet the needs of consumers when cannabis was first made available and they were limited to selling only 7 grams per purchase. It was also not lost on those at the table that the patients should be left alone until an investigation has been completed and the bad actors had been identified and dealt with appropriately.
Most of the invitees at the table also noted the lack of consumer data and couldn’t the general buying public be doing the same thing just in smaller quantities in more stores? This led to a discussion about tracking and that without the needed adjustments to the system to ensure purchases by consumer or patient were tracked accordingly, this would continue to be a problem.
At the end of the meeting the invitees called the OLCC’s claims wildly unfounded and agreed that the rule should be repealed. Consideration could be given to limiting the number of larger purchases a patient may make over any time period and language should be included to allow a physician to recommend a patient be allowed to exceed statutory possession limits if and when necessary.
The rule is temporary and will sunset in December regardless and many invitees expressed concern that such a long period could harm patients and suggested it should be added to Friday’s agenda of the whole commission.
Compassionate Oregon is working very hard to ensure that patient access is returned and patients can again purchase the amounts they are legally allowed to possess.
Our next event is Oct. 4th at 1:30pm, 151 W 7th Ave, Eugene, OR 97401 – Room 258. Click here for the facebook event link to click going and please share it on your wall.
Thank you for your support and please keep up on our Facebook page for updates on upcoming events. Please consider making a donation today to help make our efforts successful. You may do that at CompassionateOregon.org/donate