It’s been ten years since cannabis became legal for recreational use in Oregon — but Oregon’s history with weed goes back much farther than 2015. The Beaver State was an early trailblazer (pun intended) in the industry and continues to make history as a leader in progressive cannabis policies, sustainable cultivation practices and a thriving craft cannabis market.
How did Oregon become one of the world’s cannabis capitals? Let’s roll through the timeline and explore the highs and lows of our state’s journey with weed.
Oregon’s Cannabis Roots
Long before Oregon earned its rep as one of the nation’s friendliest hubs for buds, cannabis rolled in (literally) in the form of hemp-made canvas, used to cover wagons of mid-19th century pioneers looking to make their home on America’s burgeoning western frontier.
By the late 1800s and into the turn of the century, cannabis was a commonplace cure for bunions, consumption and bronchitis, with newspapers throughout the state publishing home remedies.
The hemp industry in Oregon continued picking up steam, with local papers praising the state’s ideal climate and soil for cultivating hemp. In 1905, the manager of the Minnesota Hemp Company visited Portland and hailed Oregon hemp as the most promising new industry, predicting hemp production would make Portland a “great manufacturing center” and employ hundreds.
As the 20th century progressed, the attitude around cannabis began to change. In 1923, Oregon passed a law to criminalize non-medical marijuana. Medical cannabis was banned in the state in 1935. Then, in 1937, the federal Marijuana Tax Act effectively outlawed cannabis nationwide, effectively stamping out Oregon’s hemp industry.
Oregon Cannabis: The Early Highs and the Lows
Starting in the earliest days of the Oregon territory, hemp, cannabis and marijuana have been a topic of news and conversation on the record. Here are a few snippets from newspapers and public records detailing the high and low points of Oregon’s cannabis culture in its earliest years.
The Highs
Cannabis as a Crop
1847. In a letter to Congress, the Legislature of the Territory of Oregon offered up available rations such as beef and lumber for U.S. Navy ships and included this note: “In connexion with this subject, it will be proper to mention that flax and hemp have been successfully cultivated in small quantities, and could be made articles of export, were encouragement offered.”
Cannabis as an Economic Driver
1898. The Lincoln County Leader published a column touting Oregon’s hemp industry, which, in part, read: “Oregon’s soil and climate are splendidly adapted to a most valuable industry, which no doubt is destined in the near future to attain great importance in the political economy of the Webfoot state.“
1905. The manager of the Minnesota Hemp Company visited Portland and hailed Oregon hemp as the most promising new industry, predicting hemp production would make Portland a “great manufacturing center” and employ hundreds.
Cannabis as Medicine
Late 1800s to early 1900s. Newspapers throughout Oregon published cures for ailments — from corns and bunions to bronchitis — that included cannabis. One ad even praised Cannabis Indica as “The Great East India Remedy.”
Cannabis as Clothing
1913. Fashion columnist Lady Duff-Gordon modeled a hemp hat decorated with velvet donkey ears in The Oregon Daily Journal.
The Lows
Early Prohibition
1923. Oregon legislators passed the first law to criminalize non-medical marijuana.
Marijuana’s Bad Rap
1920s. The state’s newspapers decried the drug (spelled marihuana) as a source of crime and debauchery. Under the headline “Jazz Weed a Source of Crime in the Southwest,” the East Oregonian quoted an anti-marijuana activist, saying, “Prevent persons from planting and growing the weed, and much wickedness will be spared the world.”
1933. The pushback on marijuana began to pick up steam, with the Capital Journal declaring an all-out war on the “nation’s depression narcotic.”
Federal Prohibition
1935. Medical cannabis was eventually banned in line with the Uniform State Narcotic Drug Act that was adopted by most U.S. states, including Oregon.
1952. The Boggs Act set mandatory sentences for drug-related offenses, including marijuana. A first-possession offense carried a minimum sentence of two to ten years and a fine of up to $20,000.
A Modern Cannabis Trailblazer
Even amid harsh federal and state restrictions, cannabis culture began to quietly reemerge in the state throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Cannabis became a symbol of youth and rebellion against the status quo, and Oregon was often on the front lines. Trailblazing moments include:
- First to decriminalization. In 1973, Oregon made history by becoming the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis, reducing penalties to a minor fine rather than jail time.
- Medicinal approval. In 1998, Ballot Measure 67 approved cannabis for medical use in the state.
- Legalization. In 2014, Oregon voters passed Measure 91, legalizing recreational use of marijuana. The measure, which took effect in 2015, allowed adults 21 years of age and older to possess up to eight ounces of dried cannabis at home and one ounce in public. The measure also allowed for cultivating up to four plants per household.
Oregon’s stance as an early adopter of cannabis legalization (it was the fourth state to legalize recreational use) helped pave the way for public acceptance of cannabis. Today, 24 states have legalized recreational use of marijuana. Legalization also set up a regulated cannabis industry in the state, resulting in $311 million in tax revenues from 2019-2021.
Oregon’s Cannabis Industry Today
Since recreational sales began in 2015, Oregon has cemented its status as a leader in cannabis cultivation, innovation and regulation. In 2020, with Ballot Measure 110, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of all drugs. The state will fund drug and alcohol treatment through cannabis taxes. Senate Bill 420 created a path for those with qualifying marijuana convictions to request the conviction be set aside.
And in a full-circle moment harkening back to the earliest days on the Oregon frontier, the state’s hemp industry has experienced a recent resurgence following the federal legalization of hemp cultivation in 2018. By the summer of 2019, 1,342 registered growers in the state were cultivating more than 46,000 acres of hemp. In 2024, Oregon State University’s Global Hemp Innovation Center was awarded $10 million by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop industrial uses for hemp.
Of course, the boom hasn’t been all sunshine and Sativa. A green rush following legalization has led to more than 3,000 approved licenses for farming or production of cannabis in Oregon. Cannabis leaders have recently proposed halting new licenses in the state to avoid oversaturation.
Our state’s cannabis roots run deep — from the early hemp industry to groundbreaking legislative milestones that have shaped modern cannabis culture. Today, Oregonians and tourists alike enjoy access to world-class cannabis products, craft dispensaries and a culture that celebrates quality, innovation and the freedom to enjoy cannabis on their own terms.