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July 1 marks the third anniversary of the enactment of Measure 91, AKA why you can legally buy weed at your neighborhood dispensary. But weโ€™ve also had the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) kicking around since 1998, and itโ€™s been sad to
watch it become the cannabis industryโ€™s neglected older stepchild. Iโ€™ve been an OMMP caregiver for the past 10 years, and recommending and obtaining cannabis for medical patients is some of the most important work Iโ€™ve ever done.

When Oregon passed Measure 91, we were assured there would not be any changes to the OMMP. Instead, there have been lots, and some of the biggest ones are in the process of being activated. The most significant is that most OMMP growers now need to become part of METRC, Oregonโ€™s cannabis tracking system (CTS). Itโ€™s what all facets of the recreational industry use for their โ€œseed-to-saleโ€ tracking.

โ€œI love using METRC!โ€ said no one, anyplace, ever. As I have witnessed attempts to navigate METRC literally make grown men weep, this will be… interesting.

Joshua Jardine Taylor is the Mercury's Senior Cannabis columnist and correspondent, and has written "Cannabuzz" since 2015.