Oregon became the first state in the U.S. to decriminalize cannabis possession when state lawmakers passed a measure in 1973. Oregon was the second state to adopt a medical cannabis legalization measure (1998), only behind the State of California (1996). Volunteering for Oregon’s medical cannabis legalization campaign is how I got my start as a cannabis policy activist.
In 2014, Oregon voters approved adult-use cannabis legalization on Election Day, making Oregon the third state to legalize recreational cannabis behind Colorado and Washington State, which both adopted adult-use legalization measures in 2012. I am honored to say that I played a small part in the successful 2014 Oregon legalization effort.
The first legal adult-use cannabis product sales launched in Oregon in late 2015, and since that time, Oregon’s emerging legal industry has experienced a lot of ups and downs. Unlike other states, which put a cap on industry licenses, Oregon initially had no cap on licenses. That, combined with the lowest industry barrier to entry in the U.S., resulted in Oregon becoming a very popular place for obtaining an industry license.
It is no secret that Oregon is home to some of the best and most efficient cannabis cultivators in the world, and that is demonstrated by the reported statistic that Oregon’s legal industry harvested a record 12.3 million pounds of legal cannabis in 2024. That harvest statistic comes from a recently published report by Emerald Intel.
The record harvest in Oregon in 2024 was a 28% increase over the previous year, according to the report. Emerald Intel also noted that Oregon’s legal industry sold $960 million worth of legal cannabis products in 2024.
While that last figure may sound impressive, it is worth noting that Oregon’s industry would have to sell significantly more cannabis products for demand to keep up with the state’s current legal cannabis supply.
“With many operating on razor thin margins and most retailers averaging only ~$1.1 million annually — well below the ~$2.5–2.9 million needed to sustain operations — Oregon’s cannabis market remains resilient but delicate, to say the least.” wrote Emerald Intel in its report.
Oregon has issued a moratorium on the issuance of new cannabis industry licenses until the state’s population increases. In the meantime, Oregon will likely remain home to the lowest legal cannabis product prices in the nation.
Speaking from firsthand experience, Oregon is the best place that I have ever seen from a cannabis consumer perspective, but that also makes it one of the toughest markets for industry members to turn a profit.