Industry Research
You can find articles in newspapers and magazines available through the library to do research on the cannabis industry. Gale Business: Entrepreneurship has business plans, directories and articles. The Business Collection and Regional Business News are resources to find articles from a variety of newspapers and magazines. Business Source Premier provides articles as well as company and industry profiles. The library also subscribes to the magazine High Times.
The library has books that can help you get started too. We’ve created a helpful list of titles that you can access here.
Licensing and Regulations
Several state and local agencies will also be important to know about. Multnomah County requires cannabis related businesses to register with them. The City of Portland Cannabis Program oversees licensing in the city. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is the state agency for licensing for cannabis businesses and workers and provides more information in the Business Readiness Guidebook for OLCC Marijuana Operations, while the Oregon Department of Agriculture oversees such things as water safety and pesticides. Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board oversees licensing in Washington.
Advocacy, Connection and Education
Many organizations exist to help with advocacy, education and connection to others in the business. Nuleaf Project is a Portland based organization “working to build intergenerational success for Black and Brown people through the legal cannabis industry”. The Oregon Cannabis Association provides networking events and workshops. The Oregon Entrepreneurs Network provides connection and resources to cannibis businesses. Oregon NORML and Oregon Retailers of Cannabis Association both provide advocacy for legislative policy change.
Several national organizations may also be helpful. This is our Dream is a socially inclusive digital cannabis space that centers minorities and includes free tools and resources on starting your cannabis business. The NCIA: National Cannabis Industry Association also has many resources as well as a State Policy Map. The library also has many resources for getting a small business started. Read more about them here.
