SALEM -- Hours before marijuana's date with legal destiny Wednesday, one of the lawmakers who helped shape Oregon's looming recreational market offered some friendly advice to colleagues who often find themselves offered gifts from enthusiastic or grateful constituents.
Learn how much a sack of good pot costs -- so you don't run afoul of state ethics rules.
"In case someone offers u a gift of cannabis tomorrow, here are the rules," Rep. Ann Lininger, D-Portland, told her fellow Democrats on Tuesday, according to a text message obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. (Text messages, to be clear, are not treated like emails under the Legislature's public records rules and can be deleted instantaneously.)
"Legislators are subject to $50 gift limit per giver," the text message continues. "An oz of top-quality MJ could sell for $125. If a legislator chooses to accept any gifts, I suggest he or she accept well below an 1 oz from any giver and avoid receiving/possessing more than 1 oz total. Just so u know."
Lininger, one of the co-chairs on the House-Senate committee that worked up legislation enshrining Measure 91, acknowledged sending the text in a brief interview late Tuesday. Now that pot's officially OK to possess, it seemed like a good time to address the unlikely possibility someone might want to share the love.
A replica of the text message Rep. Ann Lininger, D-Portland, sent to fellow Democrats. The Oregonian/OregonLive reviewed and photographed a copy of the original message. To be clear, what's pictured above is not the original text message.
But Lininger also sought to clarify her advice when asked about it. Rather than accept a small amount of pot, it might be better to accept none at all.
"My recommendation is that elected officials not accept gifts of cannabis," she said.
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission's handbook for elected officials spells out a lot of rules for elected officials in its section on gifts, especially when the people giving the gift have a financial interest in that official's work.
Of course, none of those rules cover pot, which is legal in Oregon but not nationally. They also allow for a green, er, gray area: Lawmakers can accept food and beverages when they're consumed as part of their official duties.
Which means even though a hefty sack of dried buds might quickly top the $50 limit, a plate of brownies or a gourmet meal cooked with top-notch pot butter might be perfectly fine.
Update: An earlier version of this story included a typographical error message that wasn't in the original message sent by Lininger, which was obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. The story has been updated to correct that error.
Ian K. Kullgren contributed to this report.
-- Denis C. Theriault
503-221-8430; @TheriaultPDX