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Dear Pot Lawyer,
Does medical cannabis even matter in Oregon anymore?
Legalized adult-use cannabis will likely bring about a slow death for Oregon’s corresponding medical program. As our recreational market matures, the medical side of things will start to make less economic sense for patients, dispensaries, and growers. After all, why should patients pay $200 for an Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) card when they can visit a recreational dispensary? Why should dispensaries spend effort on medicinal product when the recreational market is so lucrative? And why should growers build infrastructure for the medical program if the dispensaries and patients are going to focus on recreational?
The legislature and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA)—which currently administers Oregon’s medical cannabis program—also seem determined to put the medical program into its grave. Senate Bill 1057, which Governor Kate Brown will soon sign into law, includes major changes to the medical cannabis program that seem likely to hasten the death spiral.
