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Oregon Hires Top Marijuana Regulator

Katheirne Hitt
/
Flickr

Oregon is gearing up for a year-long process of crafting regulations for recreational marijuana.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission Tuesday hired Tom Burns to lead the agency's implementation of Measure 91, which allows adults in Oregon to grow, possess, and sell marijuana under state regulation.

Burns' previous job involved leading the rollout of medical marijuana dispensaries in Oregon.

Burns has his work cut out for him. Recreational marijuana won't be legal in Oregon until next July and recreational marijuana stores won't be operating until January of 2016, but that's still a fairly compressed time period for a governmental agency to develop rules and regulations.

The OLCC says it will soon announce details of a statewide “listening tour” to gather input from Oregonians on how to regulate recreational marijuana.

Copyright 2014 Northwest News Network

Chris Lehman has been reporting on Oregon issues since 2006. He joined the KLCC news department in December 2018 and became News Director in March 2023. Chris was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and graduated from Temple University with a degree in journalism. His public broadcasting career includes stops in Louisiana and Illinois. Chris has filed for national programs including “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”