Oregon Governor Kate Brown, while not perfect on marijuana policy, has been working to protect Beaver State cannabis consumers and businesses from any potential federal crackdown. Brown has joined with other governors of legalized states asking the Donald Trump Administration fulfill his campaign promise to adhere to a “states’ rights” policy, one laid out in the Obama Justice Department’s “Cole Memo.” While we are all waiting on what the Jeff Sessions-led Justice Department plans to do with regulated marijuana businesses and consumers, Gov. Brown has already signed a cannabis consumer information protection act.

From The Oregonian:

For now, the newly signed bill protects pot users by prohibiting shops from keeping or transferring customers’ personal information, including names, birth dates and addresses.

This data, typically used for marketing and customer service, is often collected from customers’ IDs, often without their knowledge. Shoppers may still sign up for emails from shops to get coupons or discounts.

Now that the law is in effect, Oregon marijuana retailers have 30 days to destroy their customers’ data from their databases. The law does not apply to medical marijuana patients.

This bill is a great step in protecting individuals that utilize Oregon cannabis retail stores, but more can be done to protect businesses and all Oregonians, not just its elected officials, need to remain vigilant against any potential federal crackdown. Oregon marijuana businesses will need to develop techniques to keep in touch with their customers as they now won’t be able to just keep all of their information, but this is a small price to pay for extra privacy protection for those using dispensaries and may actually help increase sales.

The Oregon Marijuana Business Conference (OMBC) on April 28th in Eugene, will be a great opportunity for those in the cannabis industry, or thinking of joining, to learn the latest about new rules and regulations, ask licensed attorneys burning questions, and network with others in the cannabis community. Be sure to get your tickets by April 26th, to save money. Henry Rollins will be delivering the keynote address. The OMBC is the must-attend event for the Oregon cannabis community, so get your tickets today!