When Did Oregon Legalize Weed? Measure 91, Sales, and Possession Limits

Oregon legalized recreational marijuana in November 2014, when voters approved Ballot Measure 91 with 54% of the vote.¹ Adult possession and home cultivation became legal on July 1, 2015, and the first recreational sales followed on October 1, 2015, through existing medical dispensaries.² Fully licensed recreational retailers opened a year later.

What Measure 91 Did

Measure 91, formally the “Control, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana and Industrial Hemp Act,” legalized cannabis for adults 21 and older and directed the state to build a licensed commercial market.³ The vote made Oregon, alongside Alaska, the third state in the country to legalize adult-use cannabis.⁴

The core provisions for adults 21 and older were:

Possession of up to one ounce in public and up to eight ounces at home.
Home cultivation of up to four plants per household.
Gifting of up to one ounce of marijuana, 16 ounces of solid products, or 72 ounces of liquid products to another adult, with no money changing hands.⁵

The measure put the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, now the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC), in charge of licensing growers, processors, wholesalers, and retailers.³

When Legal Sales Actually Started

Building a full licensing system takes time, so Oregon used a bridge. Governor Kate Brown signed legislation letting existing medical marijuana dispensaries sell limited amounts to recreational customers beginning October 1, 2015.² Customers over 21 could buy up to a quarter ounce of flower, along with seeds and up to four immature plants. Sales carried no tax until January 4, 2016, when a 25% rate took effect.

The OLCC’s permanent recreational system launched on October 1, 2016, when the commission issued its first licenses to dedicated recreational retailers.⁶ From then on, a full regulatory framework governed every step from cultivation to sale.

What Adults Can Possess and Grow Now

Current OLCC limits for adults 21 and older are higher than the original Measure 91 numbers for flower. You may possess:

Up to two ounces of usable marijuana in public and eight ounces at home.
Up to 16 ounces of solid cannabinoid products.
Up to 72 fluid ounces of liquid cannabinoid products.
Up to one ounce of concentrates or extracts, if purchased from a licensed retailer.
Up to four plants per residence, no matter how many adults live there.⁷

Oregon’s separate medical marijuana program, established by voters in 1998 through Ballot Measure 67, continues to operate alongside the recreational system for patients with qualifying conditions.⁴

Where You Can and Can’t Use It

Legal does not mean anywhere. Public consumption remains illegal, and the state defines a “public place” broadly to include streets, parks, schools, apartment common areas, and any establishment that holds a state liquor license.⁷

Driving under the influence of cannabis is prosecuted under Oregon’s DUII statute, which treats marijuana impairment the same as alcohol impairment. A first conviction carries a minimum $1,000 fine and at least 48 hours in jail or community service.⁸

Taking marijuana across state lines is still a federal crime, even if the neighboring state has also legalized cannabis. Oregon’s own recreational rules stop at the border.

How Oregon Got Here

The 2014 vote capped a long arc. Oregon was the first state to decriminalize marijuana possession, doing so in 1973 when it reclassified small-amount possession from a criminal offense to a fine-only violation.⁹ A quarter century later, voters approved the medical marijuana program in 1998.⁴

An earlier legalization push, Ballot Measure 80 in 2012, failed with 55% of voters opposed. That same year Washington and Colorado passed their own legalization measures, leaving Oregon behind until Measure 91 cleared the ballot two years later.¹⁰

Oregon’s broader drug reform expanded in 2020 with Measure 109 (regulated psilocybin therapy) and Measure 110 (decriminalizing possession of other drugs). Measure 110 was partly rolled back in 2024 when the legislature recriminalized possession of hard drugs as a misdemeanor. None of that affected cannabis: marijuana’s legal status under Measure 91 remained intact.¹¹

Taxes and Where the Money Goes

Oregon charges a 17% state tax on recreational marijuana retail sales, and local governments may add up to 3% more.¹² Revenue has grown into one of the state’s notable funding streams. Projections for the 2023–25 biennium exceed $312 million, and the 2025–27 biennium is projected to top $339 million.¹³

The first $90 million per biennium (adjusted for inflation) is split by the formula Measure 91 set up:

40% to the State School Fund.
20% to the Oregon Health Authority for mental health and drug treatment.
15% to Oregon State Police.
20% to cities and counties.
5% to additional drug abuse prevention services.¹³

Revenue above that cap goes to the Drug Treatment and Recovery Services Fund created by Measure 110.¹²

1
Time. Midterm Elections Marijuana Results
2
MJBizDaily. Oregon Recreational Marijuana Sales to Begin Oct 1
3
Oregon Secretary of State. Measure 91 Full Text
4
Marijuana Policy Project. Oregon Cannabis Policy
5
Marijuana Policy Project. Summary of Oregons Measure 91
6
The Oregonian/OregonLive. Recreational Marijuana Sales in Oregon
7
Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. Marijuana Frequently Asked Questions
8
Oregon State Legislature. ORS Chapter 813 – Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants
9
The Oregonian/OregonLive. Legal Marijuana in Oregon: A Look at the States Long History
10
The Oregonian/OregonLive. State Measure 80 Legalization
11
Oregon Public Broadcasting. Oregon Starts Drug Possession Recriminalization
12
Oregon Department of Revenue. Marijuana Tax Information
13
Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. Marijuana Tax Distributions