World’s largest medical marijuana dispensary opening a Portland location

Steve DeAngelo and Harborside Health Center will open doors as adult-use sales begin on October 1, 2015

Oregon’s adult-use cannabis sales officially begin on October 1, 2015. This date also marks the opening of Harborside Portland—a branch of California’s iconic Harborside Health Center, originally founded by Steve DeAngelo in 2006.

The shop will be located near Portland International Airport on the NE Portland Highway and led by a strong team of industry professionals. While DeAngelo serves as the Executive Director, his team is rounded out by General Manager Chris Helton, who brings nine years of service as a clinician at Oregon Health and Science University, and Chief Operations/Project Manager Lani Felix-Lozano, who has worked for six years at Harborside’s California locations.

Harborside has been praised throughout the cannabis community for its ground-breaking work to offer CBD-rich strains, provide education and ensure testing. They currently have over 200,000 registered medical marijuana patients at their California locations.

According to their website:

While new to town, we’re confident that our vast experience in cannabis innovation, activism, and compassion will strengthen an already strong Portland cannabis community. To potential customers, we promise products of the highest quality and purity, unrivaled customer service, and a unique, state-of-the-art retail environment.

Adult-use cannabis sales were originally projected to begin in 2016, however, this last legislative session produced laws allowing for medical marijuana dispensaries to begin serving individuals over the age of 21 on October 1, 2015.

Many consider Oregon’s cannabis legislation to be the most common-sense in the nation. Here, those over the age of 21 can have one ounce on their person and up to eight ounces at home, with each household allowed to be cultivating four cannabis plants. Consenting adults are also permitted share and give the plant away, but no cash is to exchange hands. In-state flying with cannabis is also allowed if you’re of age and within legal possession limits.

July 1, 2015 marked the legal beginning of Oregon’s adult-use weed scene, when possession and cultivation became permissible, but no storefronts were opened. The city of Portland embraced this newfound cannabis freedom and the sharing component of the legislation with the midnight gathering known as the Burnside Burn, where thousands gathered on Portland’s Burnside Bridge for an epic pot giveaway and smoke out.

Harborside Health Center has been making headlines for just under a decade as the cannabis movement has evolved. Alongside profound work within the community, Harborside was the subject of the Discovery Channel documentary series Weed Wars, and the recent headlines surrounding the federal government’s persistent targeting of state-legal medical marijuana operations. DeAngelo also released his latest book The Cannabis Manifesto in late September.