The Oregon Liquor Control Commission could get a more than $500,000 injection of emergency funds to help oversee the legalization of recreational marijuana.
That’s because starting next year, the OLCC won't be controlling just liquor anymore. Voters gave it the job of regulating pot, too.
Legal marijuana sales likely won't begin until early 2016. But the OLCC is about to embark on a lengthy rulemaking process for how marijuana can be grown and sold in the state. The agency wants to hire four new people right off the bat, with more to come next year.
On Monday, a legislative panel that considers emergency requests will consider a staff recommendation to give the Commission nearly $600,000. The state estimates that eventually, taxes on legal pot will cover the cost of administering the program.
Copyright 2014 Northwest News Network
