Status: Legal

History:

1973: Oregon decriminalised possession of small amounts of cannabis to a fine
1998: Oregon legalises medical cannabis
2015: Oregon legalises cannabis for recreational use
2017: Licensed sales begin

Consumers:

• Must be 21-years-of-age or older to purchase, possess or consume cannabis;
• Can possess up to 8oz (226g) of usable cannabis (dried leaves and flowers), 1oz (30g) of cannabis concentrate, 16oz (453g) of a cannabinoid product in solid form, 72oz (2kgs) of cannabinoid produce in liquid form, 10 cannabis seeds, and four cannabis plants;
• An individual 21-years-of-age or older can gift cannabis products to another adult so long as it falls within the personal possession limit;
• May not drive while under the influence of cannabis;
• May not consume cannabis in public spaces;
• 17% sales tax on all cannabis-containing products;
• Possession of more than 1lb (16oz) is a misdemeanour punishable by up to a year in prison and fines of up to $US6250;
• Unlicensed manufacturing is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $US375,000.

Outcomes

• 10% decrease in violent crime;
• Counts of marijuana-related calls to the Oregon Poison Center increased across all age groups from 2014 to 2018, with the largest increase among those aged 21 years and older;
• 13% drop in the murder rate;
• In 2017, more than half (57%) of adults reported to have used marijuana and 19% reported to use marijuana in the past 30 days;
• In 2018, 8% of Oregon 8th graders and 20% of Oregon 11th graders reported current marijuana use in the past 30 days;
• Since 2014, current marijuana use has increased among all age groups;
• In 2019, tax revenue generated from marijuana totalled $US102.1 million;
• Increased cannabis-related calls to poison centre;
• $US70 million in state revenue;
• $US250 million in sales;
• In 2017, 57% of Oregon residents report current use of cannabis (used in the past 30 days), 39% of which report daily usage;
• Between 2005 and 2017, cannabis use disorder in people over the age of 12 increased from 1.9% to 2.4%.

Source: https://crime-data-explorer.fr.cloud.gov/explorer/state/oregon/crime