Measure 91, which legalized recreational use of cannabis in Oregon in 2014, was meant to establish an adult use market that would co-exist with, and not supplant or disrupt, the deep-rooted medical marijuana system already in existence for 15 years. However, as the Joint Committee on Marijuana Regulation tackled their final year of implementation, a desire to consolidate all growers under the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) licensure dominated the 2017 legislative agenda, while the medical program (OMMP) was rapidly eroding in the shifting industry dynamic.
The Oregon SunGrower’s Guild (OSGG), the leading trade association representing both medical and recreational outdoor producers of cannabis, enlisted Summit Strategies to ensure their mostly small, family farm members could successfully transition from the medical to the recreational sector under OLCC. At the same time, OSGG sought to preserve the ability of members electing to remain medical growers to continue to serve patients under the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) without undue cost or regulatory burdens.