Document text
1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Drive-by shooting suspect arrested ... One critically injured in Medford drive-by shooting Tuesday ... Monday Eagle Point structure fire deemed accidental ... Drive-by shooting suspect arrested ... One critically injured in Medford drive-by shooting Tuesday ... Monday Eagle Point structure fire deemed accidental ... LEGALIZED MARIJUANA Pot sales triple at some dispensaries More recreational cannabis sold than medical Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 12, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 12, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Recreational pot has outpaced sales of medical marijuana at many Jackson County dispensaries as they enter their second week of legalization in Oregon. “We’ve tripled our sales,” said Mike Welch, owner of Siskiyou Medical Supply in Ashland. Baby boomers and college students are the main drivers of his business since recreational sales became legal on Oct. 1 to anyone 21 or older. “The over-50 crowd is resupplying everything — papers, pipes and other things they need,” said Welch, who also owns Puff’s Smoke Shop next-door to the dispensary. At the same time, his supplies of marijuana have gotten tighter, and other shops report less selection before this year's harvest. But the minor shortages are nothing like the problems experienced in Washington after it legalized marijuana. Welch said he tried to anticipate demand. But his supplies dropped to only eight varieties on the shelves on Monday. By Friday, he was back up to 20 varieties. “We are just now starting to come back on an even keel,” Welch said. “We are making do, but not at full capacity.” He said the labs that test marijuana have a backlog during harvest time so it takes longer to analyze samples for mold, mildew and other chemicals before they can be sold. Welch has five varieties awaiting results before he can offer them to customers. “We’re seeing a pinch point at the testing phase,” he said. Across the valley, dispensary owners report brisk sales and lots of interest from customers who come from out of state and as far away as Germany and Italy. “About 80 percent of our business is recreational,” said Ramsey Allred, manager of the newly opened Rogue Valley Cannabis Dispensary on Crater Lake Avenue between Medford and White City. “We haven’t run into any problems with supply.” The dispensary opened last week, bringing the number of Jackson County dispensaries that also sell recreational pot to 13. Allred’s supply of marijuana is all grown indoors at this point, but he expects to have outdoor cannabis on the shelves in a few weeks once the harvest comes in. One of his customers, 49-year-old Robert Mondry of the Applegate, said he was looking for "something that will give me energy." He quickly grew interested in a strain called Black Betty, with 29 percent THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient that produces the “high” in pot. His fiancee, Michele Roach, said she was looking for something that would help ease her depression after the death of her father. The couple had been making the rounds at different dispensaries looking for a strain that met their needs and were pleasantly surprised at the quality and look of the marijuana flowers. “It’s been a long time coming,” Mondry said. Many dispensaries offer specials to veterans and medical marijuana patients, many of whom have expressed concern about supplies. Allred said he gives a 10 percent discount to vets and medical patients. Since recreational pot became legal on July 1, the number of medical marijuana patients in Jackson County has soared by 23 percent — from 7,962 to 9,777 as of Oct. 1, according to the Oregon Health Authority. It's the second highest number of patients of any county in the state behind Multnomah, with 13,159 patients. Lane County is third highest with 8,464. Brie Malarkey, owner of Breeze Botanicals in Ashland and Gold Hill, said new patients are frustrated by the long wait times to get processed under the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program. “We are seeing a lot of people waiting for an OMMP card for eight to 13 weeks,” she said. “Why is it taking so long?” OHA spokesman Jonathan Modie said, “It’s been a very busy time for both the dispensary program and the registry program. We are getting a lot of applications for OMMP cards.” He said the OHA is processing the applications as fast as possible, and he said his agency regrets the wait. “I know staff is working very hard to process all applications,” he said. Malarkey said many customers don’t want to be listed as medical marijuana patients for fear of being put on a government list. At her Ashland store, Malarkey has seen a lot of customers from Klamath Falls and Northern California. Supplies are still good, Malarkey said, and the 2015 harvest should be appearing on her shelves in the next couple of weeks. Mitra Sticklen, general manager of Talent Health Club, said she quadrupled sales on the first day of legalization, and sales have doubled pretty much every day since. About half of her sales are recreational cannabis, partially from tourists and visitors to the area. “We’ve had a lot of international customers from Germany, Spain and Mexico,” she said. Sticklen said she’s heard of supply issues at other dispensaries. She’s also heard that at least one dispensary is selling cannabis without getting it lab-tested first for mold, mildew and other chemicals. “That hurts the entire industry,” Sticklen said. She declined to name the dispensary. James Young, manager of SkunkRx in Phoenix, said his business jumped by 50 percent since legalization, and about 50 percent of his customers are there for recreational sales. “We were geared up for it,” he said. All his cannabis is grown indoors, and Young said he’s seen a influx in customers from out of state. “We saw a lot people coming through from Washington,” he said. “They were happy at the prices here.” Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 12, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501