Oregon recruiting 11 recreational marijuana inspectors

The day when recreational marijuana will be available for purchase in Oregon is fast approaching. At the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, jobs are being created to get ready for implementing recreational marijuana policies.

Some context: On Oct. 1, medical marijuana dispensaries in most areas will begin selling some kinds of marijuana products to consumers. On Jan. 4, the state will begin accepting permit applications for marijuana businesses. Oregonians voted to legalize recreational marijuana through Measure 91, which passed in 2014.

Measure 91 brought Oregon an entirely new industry with its own new kinds of jobs. It’s impossible to say how many private sector jobs have been created from the marijuana market so far in Oregon. In the public sector, several dozen jobs have been created.

The OLCC is hiring 11 marijuana compliance specialists around the state to monitor and enforce regulations as well as train individuals on the licensing process. The positions pay $3,610 to $5,277 a month, and applications are due Sept. 1. Eight of the positions are permanent and three are temporary.

Marijuana compliance specialists will conduct investigations into marijuana businesses and production facilities. They’ll also execute decoy operations where minors attempt to buy marijuana and consult with business owners to educate them on compliance.

What does it take to become a marijuana compliance specialist? Because the industry is so new, the OLCC is looking for applicants with diverse skills, because they’ll be expected to tackle problems that come their way.

“They’ll have to be adaptive and have good critical thinking skills,” said OLCC recreational marijuana spokesman Mark Pettinger.

Candidates will need to have good interpersonal skills “particularly when engaging with people in this unregulated market who may not have a comfortable history of interaction with law enforcement,” Pettinger said.

Alcohol regulatory specialists who are already OLCC employees will also be trained on marijuana regulations.

It’s because “we don’t know come Jan. 4 whether its going to be a trickle or a flood,” of marijuana applicants, Pettinger said. For the OLCC, it’s better to be more prepared that not prepared enough.

Thirty jobs have been created at the OLCC due to Oregon’s recreational marijuana laws. Pettinger considers his own job a product of the new laws.

Does “field experience” with marijuana products prior to their legalization disqualify potential candidates? Not necessarily, Pettinger said. But if there’s a bias or conflict of interest, it’ll be considered.

gfriedman2@statesmanjournal.com, (503) 399-6653 or on Twitter @gordonrfriedman