Politics
Oregon Officials Issue Ballot Title For Initiative To Legalize Marijuana Social Lounges
A campaign aimed at legalizing cannabis social lounges in Oregon passed its latest checkpoint on Wednesday as state officials granted a draft ballot title and summary for its proposed voter initiative.
The move brings organizers one step closer to the launch of a statewide signature-gathering effort in order to qualify the measure for the November 2026 general election.
The Oregon Cannabis Cafe Coalition (OCCC)—a Portland-based group that advocates for the legalization of smoking lounges and cafes where consumption of infused edibles is permitted—needed to collect least 1,000 validated voter signatures in order have the state attorney general prepare the ballot title and summary. The campaign in June submitted more than 1,400 signatures, which were verified earlier this month by the Secretary of State Office’s Elections Division.
On Wednesday, the state attorney general’s office issued the prospective measure a draft ballot title and summary. The deadline for public comments on the proposal is August 6.
If no one challenges the draft title and summary, said Justyce Seith, chief petitioner for the Oregon Cannabis Social Lounge Act, broader signature gathering is expected to begin in September.
The campaign will have to collect just over 117,000 valid voter signatures to put the initiative on the ballot.
“The progress of the campaign is going much better than anticipated,” Seith, OCCC’s founder, told Marijuana Moment in an email this week. “We are very excited for the challenges coming up.”
She added that the campaign is scheduled to speak at an upcoming City of Portland Cannabis Policy Oversight Team (CPOT) meeting on September 11.
The draft ballot title and summary issued by the AG’s office Wednesday are as follows:
DRAFT BALLOT TITLE
Allows “lounges” open to public for consumption of cannabis products; requires licensing process, government outreach
Result of “Yes” Vote: “Yes” vote allows “microbusiness” operated “lounges” open to public (21 or older) for consumption of cannabis products; creates licensing process; local oversight; mandates government outreach.
Result of “No” Vote: “No” vote retains current law prohibiting public consumption of cannabis products.
Summary: Currently, federal/state law prohibits the public consumption of cannabis products. Measure amends state law, requires Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) to establish/issue licenses to qualified applicants for operation of “social lounges” where adults may consume certain cannabis products in public. Only “microbusinesses” (undefined) eligible for license; cannabis retail dispensaries may not operate under license and legal entity name. Adults must bring own cannabis for consumption, no on-premises cannabis sales allowed. Operator may sell non-cannabis food/beverages if certified by local health department; may sell products containing hemp-derived CBD. Alcohol/tobacco products/consumption prohibited on premises. Local governments may issue permits, impose additional limitations/restrictions. Requires OLCC/public health authorities provide “educational materials and outreach programs” regarding purpose and rules governing lounges.
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Seith told Marijuana Moment last month that an early goal of the campaign is to raise funds to help pay for professional petitioners, billboard advertisements, web design and community events. She was also reaching out to companies and individuals who might be able to volunteer, host campaign events or help amplify organizers’ efforts.
“If anyone is willing to contribute monetary funds, or even time and resources, that would be fantastic!” she said at the time, encouraging supporters to visit the campaign’s website and Instagram page or email organizers directly. “I really am just one woman trying to make a difference.”
Seith initially filed the initiative petition in April, a little more than a month after submitting a separate, similar proposal that would legalize cannabis cafes. The later initiative, which refers to the facilities as “social lounges,” is the measure the campaign will attempt to put before voters.
If passed, it would legalize and regulate state-licensed cannabis consumption lounges, offering what the initiative describes as “a safe, legal environment for adults to consume cannabis” in compliance with state law.
“These lounges will operate in a manner that ensures public health and safety, while providing adult-use cannabis consumers with a designated space to enjoy cannabis in social settings, and allowing the sale and consumption of unmedicated food and beverages,” the petition’s purpose section says.
It specifies that cannabis social lounge licenses would be available only to small cannabis business licensees, known in the state as microbusinesses.
Under the proposal, cannabis social lounges could allow adults 21 and older to consume cannabis and sell “unmedicated food and beverages,” but they could not “sell, distribute, or provide cannabis for sale on the premises” of the business.
Consumption of marijuana “must be limited to smoking, vaping, and the consumption of non-edible products,” the proposal says.
Alcohol and tobacco—including nicotine vape products—would be strictly prohibited at the businesses. They would also need to close by 2 a.m.
It’s unclear whether local governments could prohibit the establishments. The petition says they could “regulate the number of cannabis social lounges” and set further restrictions, but it doesn’t address outright bans. Local governments would also be able to inspect the lounges to ensure compliance with state and local law.
Regulators at the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) would oversee the new businesses. The petition outlines a license application process for lounges as well as basic penalties, noting, for example, that violations of any provisions in the act may result in fines and/or license suspension or revocation. It also says unlicensed operation of a lounge could carry civil and criminal penalties.
As for public education, lounges would be required to post “signs or other visual aids…to inform patrons about the risks of cannabis consumption and the lounge’s operating rules,” the proposal says.
OLCC would also work with public health authorities ” to provide educational materials and outreach programs to ensure that Oregon residents understand the purpose and rules governing cannabis consumption lounges.”
The new measure would appear on Oregon’s November 2026 ballot. If approved, it would take effect January 1, 2027.
Separately in Oregon this month, the state’s Court of Appeals criticized the state’s police force for using warrantless “technologically-enhanced surveillance” to go after an illegal marijuana operation.
