The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) will hold a public hearing that will focus on new controls to help them track cannabis better because they are concerned about large amounts of diversion onto the black market. The meeting will be at the OLCC headquarters on June 15 at 10:00 am. The address is 9079 SE McLoughlin Blvd., Room 103A, in Portland.

The OLCC is looking to have growers give them five harvest dates 24 to 72 hours before their first harvest, according to a press release. They plan to send out inspectors to monitor harvests to insure compliance with state regulations. This proposal, however, does not apply to indoor growers because they harvest more frequently, according to OLCC regulators. This hearing is a requirement before they can make changes to the rules.

“In the midst of an overproduction crisis and cratering prices in the legal market, diversion and illicit grows are predictable problems” said Adam Smith, Craft Cannabis Alliance executive director told the Bend Bulletin. Though he admitted tightening regulations could help, allowing interstate transfers would be a more ideal solution.

Production locations offer the greatest chance for diversion since a grower can identify product as waste or damaged at harvest. This can allow for some of that harvest to be diverted to the lucrative black market, which currently fetches are much higher price than the currently is available in Oregon’s market, which has seen a collapse in prices in the past year.

All affected licensees are encouraged to attend the meeting and voice their opinion. The OLCC has little understanding of cannabis harvesting and need to be set straight on the unreasonable timelines they are demanding with these new rules they propose. If they intend to tighten regulations, they need to make them workable and not make more rules that will drive even more businesses out of the industry.

Notice from OLCC: