Oregon bill protects privacy
Oregon is now safer. A new bill protects cannabis consumer information in response to Trump administration crackdowns! Oregon’s governor, Kate Brown, has just recently signed a bill that protects the privacy of Oregon residents. This is protection for any personal information being used by retailers selling cannabis products, marijuana or CBD’s. Oregon’s state bill SB 863 requires that retailers in the marijuana industry destroy existing records of their customers.
State rights vs. feds
This bill is a response the federal governments hard line on the recreational use of marijuana. Trump and his administration have threatened states that have passed recreational marijuana legislation. Jeff Sessions has made clear he wants to execute federal laws regarding cannabis. Under federal law, cannabis is still listed under schedule I controlled substance. In contrast, 46 states have legalized the use of medical marijuana. And more states are looking at hemp for industrial use.
Oregon’s growing marijuana industry
The motivation behind the bill was not only to protect consumers, but to help bolster the burgeoning marijuana industry in Oregon. If retailers feared crackdowns from the federal government and consumers felt their information was compromised it would lead to shrinking this growing industry.
Oregon obstacles with feds
Oregon marijuana business industry owners face many uphill battles. One of the many include banking which is key to any business. The federal guidelines for the banking industry requires them to report any suspicious activity. In effect the entire state of Oregon is suspicious. The state collects taxes from the sales of marijuana dispensaries, farms and other related industries. Under federal law the bank is required to report state deposits from such activity. There are also complications with businesses that conduct business with the marijuana industry even if they do not directly sell or produce any cannabis, marijuana or CBD’s. But if the money they deposit comes from a cannabis based business it draws attention.
Protecting privacy is rare with so much information available. This groundbreaking bill is protecting individuals and an entire industry.