/ Hemp Inc. employee Frank Van Pelt sorts out moldy hemp plants at the White City warehouse.
Lawmakers in Oregon are trying to regulate a lesser-known compound derived from cannabis. It’s an artificially derived product from hemp that produces a high but which is sold with few restrictions.
House Bill 3000 targets a compound known as Delta-8-THC that’s extracted from hemp. Right now, processors can extract CBD from hemp. It s then used in countless health products. But CBD can be further chemically processed to get Delta 8, which has mild intoxicating effects.
“You grow high-CBD hemp, you take that hemp, process it into CBD – okay, so far no problem,” says Rep. Marty Wilde. “But then you process the CBD with chemicals to make it into an intoxicating product. Right now, that’s arguably not prohibited.”
Lawmakers schedule vaccinations, but other things are still going to be important considerations.
House Speaker Tina Kotek says she does not foresee the Oregon Capitol reopening to the public soon, despite a drive-through vaccination clinic for lawmakers scheduled Wednesday.
The Capitol has been closed since March 18, 2020, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Minority Republicans in both chambers have pushed for reopening the building, even though a majority of Oregon s population becomes eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine only after May 1. A lawmakers-only vaccination clinic, with the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine being offered, ie set for Wednesday.
Kotek, a Democrat from Portland, said general vaccination rates are going up, but so are the number of new infections reported. As of Monday, April 5, Oregon reported 167,128 cases.
MEDFORD, Ore.– The Oregon Liquor Control Commission, or OLCC, says a new change could be on its way rising prices. The commission is considering raising the floor price of some liquors being sold in Oregon. It says the goal is to reduce DUI’s and drunk driving accidents. OLCC spokesperson Bryant Haley says it’s a difficult thing to balance protecting the people and helping businesses thrive.
He said, “It can be a tricky position. Its not an easy one. What’s more important, helping out public health more or helping out our licensees more? It has to be a balance.”
In this week’s edition:
Cannabis Banking Bill has bipartisan support
Congressional Research Service clarifies 280E
New York comes to recreational cannabis agreement
Medical cannabis laws have no impact on adolescent recreational use, research finds
Federal
Cannabis Banking Bill Reintroduced in the Senate - US Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT), along with 27 other cosponsors, have reintroduced the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act. If enacted, SAFE would ensure that financial institutions could service cannabis business clients without facing federal penalties. At present, the threat of federal penalty has shut out many cannabis companies from working with many banks and credit unions. Now that Democrats control the Senate and the White House, many in the industry are optimistic about passage.
After proposed 2,800% tax on beer and wine stalls, Oregon lawmakers consider new alcohol price hikes
Lawmakers Monday will consider creating a bipartisan task force that would aim to reduce alcohol consumption by 15% with cost increases. Author: Cristin Severance (KGW) Updated: 1:02 AM PDT April 5, 2021
There is a new push to raise the cost of alcohol in Oregon after a proposed bill that would have raised taxes on beer and wine by nearly 3,000% stalled.
House Bill 3296 would have raised the tax on beer from $2.60 a barrel to $72.60 and the tax on wine from 65 cents a barrel to $10.65. A tax on distilled spirits would have been set by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission every two years.