Oregon Passes Cannabis Consumer Privacy Bill to Protect Shop Customers

The new bill puts Oregon very much on par with other states that support marijuana legalization in the USA.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Lawmakers in a number of states are currently concerned about the increasing risks of marijuana enforcement by federal agents.

The current Trump administration, as well as Jeff Sessions who is currently leading the Justice Department, are showing signs of uncertainty when it comes to their attitude towards weed, causing the concern among legalized states’ lawmakers in the first place, and increasing the contradictions between the law at the federal and state level.

In a bipartisan effort to protect weed consumers, the Oregon state lawmakers have put forward a new bill that will add an extra layer of protection against enforcement efforts by federal agents.

The newly signed cannabis consumer information protection act was introduced to further protect consumers.

Collection of Information

By law, customers who purchase marijuana from registered shops must show a driver’s license, a passport or other forms of identification to prove that they are at least 21.

This is the case in Oregon as well. Unfortunately, customers’ information and personal details are often collected without them even knowing.

For businesses, these details can be used for marketing purposes. By knowing customers’ phone numbers or email addresses, shops can send promotional offers, reminders and other forms of marketing messages through different channels. Some shops take it a step further, adding purchase history details.

A dispensary employee can instantly learn about a customer’s purchasing habits, the kind of weed the customer normally buys, and other key details just by entering the identification number of that customer.

The data gathering is done to allow shops to offer a more personalized experience and for other marketing purposes.

Oregon Governor Steps Up

The Cannabis Consumer Privacy Bill, signed by Governor Kate Brown after it was passed 53-5 by state lawmakers, is a measure that will stop shops from further collecting customers’ information.

Such information-gathering tactics are no longer allowed to avoid the same database from being used in crackdown attempts by the federal government.

"Given the immediate privacy issues, this is a good bill protecting the privacy of Oregonians choosing to purchase marijuana," said state Rep. Carl Wilson. Wilson is a Republican who also helped sponsor the bill. As mentioned earlier, the bill is the result of a bipartisan effort in the Oregon House.

The new bill also puts Oregon very much on par with other states that support marijuana legalization in the USA. Both Alaska and Colorado have also taken steps to protect customers of recreational marijuana.

It is also noted as one of the first major responses to the looming risk of crackdown on recreational cannabis.

A Major Response

The Trump administration first signaled a possible crackdown in February, when Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s statement about the matter was followed by a bigger sign in the statement of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

No response has been officially issued so far, but a memo from Sessions to US attorneys confirmed that marijuana will be among the substances reviewed as part of the planned crime-reduction policy.

At least for now, customers in Oregon can stop worrying about their personal information being used in future enforcement efforts.

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Rhea Graham May 1, 2017 9:04 am (Pacific time)

BUT!!! Not protection for patient privacy, of course... The state tells me we must continue to collect it at Medical Dispensaries because, "that's the only way we can be sure it's people with a card you are selling to". Ummmmm, if we look at the card.... hello?!! Seriously, if they are only LOOKING at the ID to ensure someone is 21, how will they be SURE someone who isn't 21 didn't slide in?!

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