Medford may lift ban on medical marijuana sales

Medford, Ore. — Medical marijuana may soon be sold within Medford city limits.

The city council voting 4 to 2 to lift the 17 month moratorium on medical marijuana sales effective December 1, 2015. One councilor was absent and another abstained from the vote, so the issue will need to pass a second reading before the ban could be lifted. City councilors in favor of the change say Medford needs to encourage small business.

“I think people will find that the sky is not going to fall, it’s just a storefront. People drive by liquor stores all the time, people drive by minute markets that sell beer and there’s no stigma attached,” councilor Clay Bearnson says.

Bearnson says if the vote is tied at the second reading, which could come next week, it will be up to the mayor to decide on the matter.