Oregon Senate approves Safer Marijuana Act, limits edible servings and mandates individual wrapping

The Oregon Senate passed the Safer Marijuana Act (Senate Bill 1548) after extended floor debate, adopting measures to reduce accidental high-dose THC exposures among children and adolescents.

Senator Reynolds, the bill's sponsor, said the measure limits a single edible serving to 10 milligrams of THC and requires each 10 mg serving to be individually wrapped and then placed inside the existing child-resistant container. "It puts toddlers and, I would argue, adults, at less risk for a THC overdose," Reynolds said, citing poison-control data and peer-reviewed research from Washington state.

Supporters described rising pediatric poisonings and hospitalizations tied to high-dose edibles. Reynolds told colleagues that Oregon's poison control center had seen an uptick in toddler poisonings and that Washington's packaging rules were associated with a roughly 50 percent decrease in child hospitalizations in published county-level research.

Opponents, including Senator Brock Smith and others, argued the change could hurt regulated producers and push some purchasers to unregulated markets. Brock Smith displayed an example of a package he said had been mailed to a 12-year-old, and warned that packaging mandates alone would not stop contraband imports. Lawmakers also raised concerns the mandate could reduce tax revenue that funds Measure 110 programs that support addiction treatment.

Several senators urged compromise to protect both children and the legal industry. Senator Gelser Blueen and others secured clarifications from the sponsor that the bill preserves Oregon's child-resistant container standards and that the intention is to have both individual wrapping and a child-resistant outer package.

Sponsor Reynolds said he would work with the other chamber to move the bill's effective date to give industry more time to comply; the floor discussion included a commitment to delay implementation to 01/01/2028.

The Senate recorded a constitutional majority in favor and declared SB 1548 passed. The final roll-call reading on the floor recorded 22 ayes; the Senate announced the measure had received a constitutional majority and declared it passed.

What happens next: SB 1548 will proceed to the House (or be enrolled) per the legislative process; the sponsor said she will seek an implementation delay and continue work with stakeholders on packaging and enforcement details.