Portland Expects 350 Recreational Cannabis Businesses

Portland, Oregon, expects 350 new marijuana businesses to spring up across the city once the state’s recreational cannabis industry is fully up and running.

The tally includes 150 retail stores, 100 processors, 50 wholesalers and 50 producers, according to projections city officials provided the Oregonian.

Such a dense population of marijuana businesses will almost certainly lead to serious competition.

The first businesses licensed under Oregon’s new recreational marijuana program won’t open until the second half of next year. But the state recently signed off on a plan that allows existing medical marijuana dispensaries to start selling recreational cannabis on Oct. 1.

Portland is currently home to 120 dispensaries, and 12 more are registered but have yet to open. Getting access to the rec market will certainly help boost their fortunes in the short term, though it’s unclear how the situation will play out once businesses specifically licensed to sell recreational marijuana open.