Oregon worries about pot crackdown

KRISTENA HANSEN

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SALEM, Ore. — Oregon lawmakers worried about a nationwide crackdown on legal marijuana under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration are rushing to protect the personal information of pot customers in case federal agents try to seize it.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is taking one of the first direct state actions in response to White House spokesman Sean Spicer last week suggesting a boost in enforcement of federal anti-marijuana laws.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said this week that the Justice Department is reviewing an Obama-era memo giving states flexibility in passing marijuana laws.

The committee that crafts Oregon’s pot policies has proposed legislation that requires marijuana businesses to destroy customers’ personal information, such as names, addresses and birth dates, gathered for marketing purposes, within 48 hours.

The measure is scheduled for its first hearing Tuesday. It must pass the full Legislature and be signed by the Democratic governor, who has vowed to fight federal interference in Oregon’s pot market.

“I could see where the federal government would come in and try to gather this information from businesses that have stockpiled it and retained it in their records,” said Democratic state Sen. Floyd Prozanski, a bill sponsor who is also a prosecutor. “I think we as legislators have a duty to protect our citizens.”

More than half the country has approved legalized marijuana in some form, mostly for medical purposes. Any federal attempt to crack down on recreational pot could affect medical marijuana users because the markets are increasingly integrated.