Dispensaries React

By Maggie Nelson, Dave DeLuca and Joel DeVyldere

The passage last week of Measure 91, legalizing recreational marijuana sale in Oregon, seemed to some to be an asteroid destined to send the medical dispensaries out the way the dinosaurs went. Still others deny that there will be competition between the two markets, and that they will seamlessly coexist.  We asked local marijuana dispensary owners how they felt about the new world we’re heading for.

Kayla Dunham

The Agrestic Green Collective

“Measure 91 gives the OLCC a year to establish a regulatory scheme for recreational stores, so nothing is going to change for us until at least January of 2016.  We hope the OHA and OLCC will work together and build a framework for medical stores that allows us to integrate recreational sales.  Will The Agrestic be a different store after M91?  I don’t believe so.  The demand for novelty products will increase.  The economy of cannabis will shift and become brand-oriented.  We’ll see an influx of more professionally produced, packaged, and marketed items which will drive stronger competition in what has traditionally been a rather laissez-faire marketplace.  I’m sure there will be oversight down to the number of milligrams of THC we’re allowed to infuse into a piece of candy.  But we’re already devoted to carrying products that are thoughtfully made and packaged because they tend to be the only consistent products on the market.  When we can sell to recreational consumers we will continue to provide the best products we can access in an elegant, boutique environment.  We’ll just be able to serve a broader customer base.”

Brock Binder

High Quality Compassion

“We don’t see that Measure 91 will affect us terribly as a medical facility,” said Binder. As the runners officially take off to dominate Corvallis’ legal recreational marijuana trade, HQC has given no indication that it’s entering the race. Binder sees his business as a separate enterprise, and plans to keep running alongside the city’s emerging recreational trade. “As of now, we are not setting up to sell to the recreational market,” he added.

Daniel Lareau

The Green Room

“We have no clue,” said Lareau about their recreational selling plans, adding that they will be focusing efforts on their current clientele, and “taking care of patients.” Having just opened up shop about four weeks ago, the Green Room is establishing a footing in the community and “getting a feel for what the need in the community is,” Larue continued.

Melissa Wallace

Nature’s Better Health Center

“My loyalty is medicinal.” Although the shop is considering either incorporating recreational options into the current store, or possibly expanding to provide a separate store for recreational users, Wallace will not go rogue. She added that Better Health Center is here to “help those in need,” and that they “never want to be a sales pitch.”