Many Oregon localities to vote again on rec

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Oregon already has a recreational marijuana industry, but that’s only true in about half of the physical state. Most of eastern Oregon, and a good bit of the western half, chose to ban rec businesses after the 2014 election, but the topic will be back on the ballot this year in several dozen local communities.

That will give the rec industry in Oregon yet another chance to expand even more, and give a lot of existing medical dispensaries the chance to serve customers that they’re currently not allowed to sell to, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.

So far, 46 cities and six counties have put rec on the general election ballot, according to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission’s website.

An additional 40 cities and 13 counties have enacted straight-out bans, where more than 55% of voters opposed rec legalization in 2014, and so local officials were allowed to pass ordinances prohibiting rec businesses without a separate vote of the people.

Shawn Aman, the owner of Going Green dispensary in the Oregon town of Albany, said he loses 10-12 customers a day because his local officials opted out of rec, and he hopes voters there approve it again as they did two years ago.