MEDFORD, Ore. — The Oregon Court of Appeals has issued a stay in the ban on flavored vaping products, but the ban remains in effect for marijuana-related vaping products.
The OLCC began making the rounds to local dispensaries on Friday.
“I’m not understanding why the tobacco industry gets a stay and we do not,” Cannabiz Experience’s, Bonnie Elliott-Marsh said.
It’s a win for tobacco-based vape shops. The Oregon Court of Appeals has issued a stay in the ban on their vaping products, but if the product has marijuana it stays on the chopping block across Oregon.
House of Leaves in Medford says the OLCC has already hit their shop to make sure they were up to snuff.
“They’re looking to see if we have any flavored cartridges or anything with cutting agents added to them,” House of Leaves manager, Justin Hancock said.
The original ban was supposed to cover all flavored vaping products for six months. Now it’s just the ones with THC. Some marijuana retailers say it’s unfair because the only difference in their flavored products is THC.
“I’m not understanding the stay for tobacco flavoring because they’re using the same flavoring as we’re using in these vapes,” Elliott-Marsh said.
Other dispensaries say taking those products off the shelf wasn’t the biggest loss.
“I would estimate only about 10% of our cartridge lines were taken off of our market,” Hancock said.
One of the first to see the ban in action, House of Leaves warns the OLCC is coming.
“Individuals should be ready, the OLCC is coming. It wasn’t just a random visit they had a whole list of people they needed to see by Monday and they’re making sure everybody is aware,” Hancock said.
The OHA says it will temporarily suspend its enforcement of the ban on tobacco vaping products, but plans to work on legislative proposals that ban flavored vapes, increase oversight of the industry and discourage Oregonians from vaping.
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