Oregon Senate takes steps to allow marijuana exports

SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would allow Oregon-grown marijuana to be exported and sold in other states.

Senate Bill 582 would allow the governor to enter into agreements with other states as soon as the federal government allows it in some way.

Cannabis advocates say it's a possible solution to the over-abundance of weed in Oregon.

"If we could access even a few of the other markets that are legal now, or about to be legal, we would need every ounce of cannabis we can produce under current licensure," said Adam Smith of the Craft Cannabis Alliance. "We would likely have to expand."

Currently, Smith says the state's marijuana industry is facing dire straits.

Once marijuana was legalized in Oregon, state and federal law prevented it from being sold in other states. But there's now an oversupply of weed, which has driven down prices and forced some businesses to close.

"Everyone said, 'Well you know, that's capitalism,'" Smith said. "But it isn't. Capitalism is when we have a world-class product and we can send it to New York, and they send us money and it's legal. That's capitalism. We have prohibition."

Senate Bill 582 still needs to pass the House and be signed by the governor. Federal approval can come in several ways, according to Smith. Marijuana could be legalized nationally or the government could approve the exchange of product between markets where the drug is legal.