BEND, OR -- Medical Marijuana dispensaries in Bend are just two days away from being allowed to sell recreational pot. Hunter Neubauer serves on the OLCC advisory committee tasked with creating rules for future retail outlets. As the owner of OreGrown in Bend, he’s also navigating early rec. sales at his own dispensary, as regulated by the Oregon Health Authority. "There’s some things that came from the OHA, as far as requirements go. We need to make sure we check IDs, we need to input them into our system, keep track of what they purchased. Everybody can purchase up to a quarter ounce of buds or flowers, they can also get four clones or seeds. So, we have to keep track of all that information and make sure we don’t oversell that allotment per day, per person." Those rec sales are taxed by the state, while Medical marijuana sales are not. 

Neubauer tells KBND he expects the clientele at his dispensary to shift in the coming year. "We have to really change the ebb and flow of how our dispensary works. We have two different point of sale systems, we have a brand new set of packaging and materials we think are going to be a great way for new customers to come in and figure out what they’re looking for, what this industry is about and help guide them to choose correctly." He adds,   "Attaining your medical card is a long process and if you have a true medical condition, it’s very much needed. But, I think that you’ll see the same thing happen in Oregon as it did in Washington and Colorado. A lot of medical patients stopped getting their medical cards and have now just become full recreational adult users. It’s just easier."

Eventually, recreational retail outlets allowed in January, will be overseen by the OLCC. 

To hear the full conversation with Hunter Neubauer, visit our Podcast Page.