OREGON TO SHIELD MARIJUANA USER DATA FROM OFFICIALS

Oregon state lawmakers have given final approval to a bill that would shield the names, birthdates and other identifying information of marijuana users from being accessed by federal drug agents amid worries of heightened enforcement. The bill was approved 53-5 by the Oregon House on Monday and is largely in response to mixed signals about the White House’s stance on the federal ma- rijuana prohibition. Democratic Gov. Kate Brown is expected to sign it into law. Oregon pot shops would have 30 days to destroy their recreational pot customers’ personal data from their records and be banned from keeping such records thereon. Data collection about pot clients is already illegal or discouraged in Alaska, Colorado and Washington state.