BY RACHEL CHEESEMAN

SALEM- As of July 6, the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program may no longer require Oregon residency as a part of the medical marijuana permit application process.

Formerly, applicants needed to supply proof of residency as well as Oregon identification as part of their application materials. However, the OMMP was informed by the Department of Justice that such a requirement was inconsistent with the language of the bill.

Tawana Nichols, manager of the OMMP, said that while the program was created with the intent of benefitting Oregonians specifically, there was no requirement of Oregon residency written into the bill, so they could not lawfully require it.

While residency will, for the time being, not be a requirement, patients still must be prescribed medical marijuana by a licensed Oregon physician holding either an MD or a DO – Doctor of Osteopathy – and purchase their product within state lines; and the protection afforded by the program does not extend beyond Oregon’s borders.

Nichols said she could not speak to the possibility of Oregon residency becoming a formal requirement within the statute in a later legislative session.