Here’s everything you need to know about marijuana legalization in Oregon

Eder Campuzano

June 30, 2015

Ryan Kang

Last month, the Oregon division of the Service Employees International Union urged Oregon legislators to raise the minimum age for buying tobacco from 18 to 21. California may raise the minimum age soon depending on Gov. Jerry Brown’s approval. Heather Conroy, executive director of SEIU Local 503, said that Oregon should follow …

You can finally toke up in Oregon without legal recourse.
Well, as long as you’re doing it at home or in any other private residence. And you’re going to wait a while if you want to walk into a store and buy some bud from a retailer.
There are a few quirks in the Oregon legalization initiative. Here’s your guide to the new recreational marijuana laws, with a map detailing the location of every dispensary in Eugene-Springfield.

Let’s cut to the chase: Where can I get some pot?

For now, you’ll have to rely on the kindness of strangers with a medical marijuana card. They’re the only ones who have access to weed from a state-certified source — dispensaries. But card-holders are only allowed to give away their ready-to-consume stock, not sell it.
Applications for industrial growing and retail sale won’t be ready until Jan. 4, 2016, so the state’s retail infrastructure won’t be ready until that fall.
Obviously, if somebody already has some weed to share, that will make things a lot easier.

That’s no problem. I have a friend coming in from Washington next week.

Not so fast. Even though recreational marijuana is legal in both states, you can’t take product from Oregon across the border and vice-versa, even if it’s okay to grow and consume on either side of the Columbia River.

Wait. What was that about growing?

You can keep up to four plants at home, either inside or outside. They just can’t be visible to the public. On top of that, you can have up to 8 ounces of usable marijuana in a private residence.

So I can walk around with 224 blunts in my pocket?

That’s really good math! You can roll roughly 28 blunts with an ounce of weed. Multiply that by eight and you’ve got 224. But no. When you’re out in public, you’re limited to 1 ounce.

I’m definitely rolling a J for the walk to my summer classes

Don’t be too sure about that. Recreational marijuana use is still only allowed indoors at private residences. And because the University of Oregon receives federal funding, you won’t be toking up on campus anytime soon, either.
It’s the same for federally-funded institutions in Washington and Colorado.

What if I’m in my car?

No. Driving while you’re stoned is illegal.

Jeez, it’s not like it’s alcohol

Actually, marijuana is regulated through the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the agency that does the same for booze. That might account for some of the parallels between marijuana and alcohol laws.