When Oregon legalized cannabis last year, one of the expected benefits to our state economy was a wave of curious tourists, escaping the tyranny of canna prohibition in far less enlightened places such as Texas, Florida, and about 30 other states.
Even before legalization, it’s not as if Oregon was a vast post-apocalyptic nightmare landscape with nothing to offer visitors. (Looking at you, Tulsa.) Here, tourism is an economic engine that is fed by our ability to offer a great number of unique things to visitors, such as the natural settings that earned us the Pacific Wonderland moniker, as well as craft beers, wines, spirits, and food—so much food—that seems explicitly designed for stoners (see: menus at Salt & Straw, Blue Star Donuts, and Pok Pok). Seriously, it’s a big deal: According to Travel Oregon, tourism generates $10.8 billion a year, creating 105,000 jobs directly, with another 54,800 secondary-impact positions.
But we haven’t exactly opened our arms to those seeking to swoop in and try what is arguably our most sought-after agricultural product. (Not you, hazelnuts.)
