The Business of Marijuana in Oregon: Join Us May 17!

In exactly two weeks, on May 17, 2019, our own Vince Sliwoski will co-chair an all-day continuing legal education (CLE) event in Portland called The Business of Marijuana in Oregon, along with Danica Hibpshman, Director of Statewide Licensing at the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC). The roster of speakers lined up for this CLE is better than any year to date (you won’t want to miss Nathalie Bougenies‘ presentation on hemp and CBD); and everyone, including non-lawyers, would be well served to attend. For a full event description, including topics, speakers and registration links, click here.

Looking back over the past four years, it is amazing to see how much things have changed in Oregon cannabis. At this point, the OLCC’s recreational marijuana program is fully built out and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) hemp program has taken off like a rocket. We are proud to call many of these Oregon producers, processors, wholesalers and retailers our clients, alongside the many investors and ancillary service providers we represent.

Sometimes, it is said that pioneers get slaughtered and settlers get rich. Now that the Oregon regulatory groundwork has stabilized, we have begun to see a second wave of entrepreneurs and investors move in on the local industry. Many of these new entrants bring skills, capital and experience from other regulated markets, while others are new to the space. Over the next year or so, we expect to see continued consolidation in the OLCC market, and further escalation in ODA hemp production, processing and sale.

Oregon attorneys and business owners alike need to be familiar with the unique regulatory concepts and industry dynamics that will be discussed on Thursday in order to best serve the Oregon cannabis industry. These concepts include state laws and administrative rules, developments in the highly dynamic federal sphere, and practical approaches to working with and in the cannabis industry. Attendees will hear from regulators, bankers and, of course, lawyers aplenty.

If you are in or around Portland, we hope you will join us on May 17 for an eight-hour survey of Oregon cannabis that is both broad and deep. And if you are a Harris Bricken client or a friend of the firm, please click here to request a promotional discount code, which can be applied to either the webcast, or to in-person attendance.

See you soon.