Oregon hearing on bill to require individually wrapped 10 mg cannabis edibles draws split testimony over child safety and business costs

PORTLAND, Ore. — Lawmakers heard sharply divided views Monday on Senate Bill 1548A, a proposal to require individually wrapped single‑serving cannabis edibles with a 10‑milligram limit per piece.

Supporters, including emergency physicians and public‑health groups, said tighter packaging and smaller serving sizes would reduce accidental ingestions by children and serious adverse events. Rob Hendrickson, medical director of the Oregon Poison Center, recounted treating “a toddler [who] ate two muffins…each of those products contained 50 milligrams of THC each,” saying the child became unconscious, seized and required mechanical ventilation for about 36 hours. Hendrickson urged the committee to “limit THC dosing [in] edibles to 10 milligrams and allow for single unit packaging.”

Dr. Jill Pearson, a board‑certified pediatrician, said similar rules in Washington were followed by substantial declines in pediatric hospitalizations, and described rising adolescent and child exposures in Oregon. Beau Brinson of Oregon Recovers and Sarah Lochner of the Oregon Coalition of Local Health Officials said the bill aligns with prevention strategies intended to protect brain development and reduce school and mental‑health harms among youth.

Industry witnesses and economists strongly contested the policy and its presumed effects. Gabe Parton Lee, general counsel for Wilde (producer of Wyld and Gruen brands), testified that the capital cost of automated flow‑wrap machinery — he cited a $2 million figure based on Washington experience — and months of tooling could force the company to consolidate facilities, lay off about 80 workers and push many smaller producers out of the legal market. Lee called the change “an extinction level event for Oregon small businesses.”

Mike Gatlin of the Cannabis Industry Alliance disputed the empirical link between Washington’s packaging rules and lower pediatric exposures, said peer‑reviewed data were mixed and argued that a surge in unregulated hemp‑derived intoxicants — products with no testing, potency limits, age verification or child‑resistant packaging — accounts for much of the national increase in reported pediatric exposures.

Economic testimony flagged potential fiscal effects. Bo Whitney, chief economist at Whitney Economics, estimated higher capital and financing costs could raise product prices, depress sales and reduce state marijuana tax receipts; Justin Lowe of the Association of Oregon Counties said the fiscal impact to state shared revenues and funds that support treatment and recovery programs deserves review by the Revenue Committee or Legislative Revenue Office.

Committee members asked witnesses where the 10‑milligram standard originated and about packaging models. Witnesses acknowledged 10 mg is a common U.S. standard, that one state has used 5 mg, and described alternatives ranging from outer‑and‑inner child‑resistant containers to the three‑layer approach proponents described (outer package, inner child‑resistant package, and individually wrapped servings). The bill’s staff summary set the operative date for items sold on or after Jan. 1, 2027, with an A2 amendment posted that would delay the operative date to Jan. 1, 2028; the summary also said the measure takes effect on the 90th day following sine die.

The committee did not vote. Chair closed the public hearing and carried remaining remote testimony to the panel’s next meeting Wednesday.

What’s next: The committee record will include written testimony; committee staff and legislators may refer the measure for revenue analysis or to subsequent committees for further consideration before any floor action.

Sources: Testimony in the House Committee on Economic Development, Small Business and Trade public hearing on SB 1548A, Feb. 23, 2026.