Testimony backs THC‑based possession limits in SB 1144; industry argues weight limits encourage high‑potency products

Senate Bill 1144 drew testimony March 31 from industry and advocacy witnesses who told the Senate Committee on Judiciary that Oregon’s statutory, weight‑based possession limits for cannabis edibles and beverages encourage smaller, higher‑potency products and complicate safe dosing.

Under current statute the personal possession limit for cannabinoid products in solid form is weight‑based (for example, 16 ounces for edibles in statute) and for liquid form is 72 ounces; the dash‑1 amendment would treat an individually sealed container as a single container regardless of package size, and would create unlawful possession amounts for liquid cannabinoid products where the total delta‑9 THC exceeds 10 grams in liquid forms unless the holder is a licensee, staff summarized to the committee.

Jesse Bonacue, executive director of the Cannabis Ministry Alliance of Oregon, told the committee the present weight‑based limits permit a store to sell many small, high‑potency edibles or drinks and make it difficult for consumers and regulators to set sensible sales and possession limits. “This amendment simply changes the possession limits to a THC limit instead of a weight based limit,” Bonacue said, explaining that the OLCC (Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission) uses statutory possession limits as a guide when setting retail sales limits.

John Tapper, sales and marketing manager for Magic Number (a cannabis beverage company), described practical examples: 12‑ounce cans and 8‑ounce bottles sold in multiple potencies (10 mg, 25 mg, 100 mg). Tapper said the 72‑ounce volume limit allows widely variable total THC to be sold depending on packaging and potency, and that moving to a THC‑based possession limit would better align consumer behavior with safe dosing and state tax collection. Tapper also said hemp‑derived THC beverages sold outside the regulated OLCC system have no comparable volume limits and generate no excise tax revenue.

Committee members questioned whether possession limits are set in statute or rule; witnesses confirmed the statutory limits (weight/volume) remain in ORS and that the OLCC sets sales limits consistent with statute. Witnesses emphasized the amendment would not change OLCC rulemaking authority but would enable the commission to regulate sales using a THC‑based possession cap as the statutory baseline.

The committee closed the SB 1144 public hearing. No committee votes were taken on the dash‑1 amendment; the committee posted a work session for SB 1144 on April 3, 2025.

Why it matters: Witnesses said changing possession limits from weight/volume to total THC would reduce incentives for ultra‑concentrated, small packages that can make dosing harder to control, allow more consistent consumer expectations and could increase taxable sales within the regulated system. Opponents (none testified at the March 31 hearing) could raise concerns about market effects, enforcement and cross‑jurisdictional issues with hemp products.