The Oregon Liquor Control Commission this week issued draft temporarily rules for the state's marijuana industry.
A public hearing on the rules will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at the commission offices, located at 9079 S.E. McLoughlin Boulevard.
The commission is expected to vote on the rules later this month.
The 70-page document spells out rules for every facet of Oregon's cannabis industry, from production and wholesale to processing and retail sales, including home delivery.
In issuing the rules, the liquor commission stressed that the requirements are in draft form and shouldn't be used by people in the cannabis industry as the "basis for making business decisions."
The rules detail the application requirements for perspective license holders, which include marijuana growers, wholesalers, researchers, hash oil and edible processors and retailers.
Applicants, under the draft rules, would be required to submit to criminal background checks, as well as provide a detailed look into their business plans. They'd be required to submit floor plans, detailed operating plans that list security, employee training and qualification, as well as proposed electrical and water use.
Applicants for producer licenses must tell the commission how they plan to grow marijuana, whether indoor or outdoor, what type of growing media and equipment they intend to use and proof of water rights or a statement that water is supplied by a public system or irrigation district.
Other key issues remain unsettled, such as application fees and canopy sizes.
Amy Margolis, a Portland lawyer who represents cannabis growers and others in the industry, said the release of the rules ranks alongside July 1, when home cultivation and possession became legal, and October 1, when retail sales began, as key milestones in Oregon's recreational marijuana history.
"This is the actual start button," said Margolis. "Now people really have to get started."
Margolis said the process of applying for a license under the liquor commission program is more rigorous than what the Oregon Health Authority requires of medical marijuana dispensary owners.
"This is a real application process," she said. "That is the takeaway. This is not to be trifled with. This is not the OHA application process that you could work on and put out in a relatively short period of time without much thought.
"This is going to require a broad, comprehensive approach, from water rights to energy use," she said.
-- Noelle Crombie
503-276-7184; @noellecrombie