The Oregon Senate on Wednesday passed a bill legalizing medical marijuana retail establishments.



House Bill 3460, which approved on a bipartisan 18-12 vote, now returns to the Oregon House for a final vote on a handful of amendments that the Senate made at the behest of prosecutors. A House vote is expected this weekend.





Medical Marijuana

The bill passed the Senate with no debate Wednesday.

HB 3460 would create a registry of businesses that sell medical marijuana. Patients have long sought retail access to medical cannabis, arguing the state’s rules – grow your own marijuana or have someone do it for you – are unrealistic.

An investigation by The Oregonian last year showed that scant state regulation of medical marijuana allowed widespread diversion to the black market.

Oregon voters have twice defeated ballot initiatives creating a regulated dispensary system, but that hasn’t deterred the states medical marijuana industry. Multnomah County law enforcement has largely looked the other way when it comes to these establishments, but police in other counties, such as Jackson, Washington and Malheur have cracked down on the sale of medical marijuana out of retail storefronts.

-- Noelle Crombie