Three months of tax-free pot with early sales start

Recreational marijuana has now been legal in Oregon for more than a month, and marijuana sales will begin at medical dispensaries ahead of the original January 4 start date. A law passed at the end of the legislative session will start sales on October 1, but a point-of-sale tax on marijuana won’t begin until January 4. That means more than three months of tax-free pot.

The Department of Revenue and the Legislative Revenue Office did not have information on how much revenue may be missed out on in the three months of tax-free sales.

Oregon Liquor Control Commission spokesman Tom Towslee said the legislation is fiscally moot.

He said the Department of Revenue wouldn’t have been able to start taxation on October 1 because they did not have enough time to prepare, and the OLCC wasn’t expecting any revenue until January 4 anyways, so there will be no budget shortfall.

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