Portland signs off on marijuana festival featuring free samples

Portland, Oregon lawmakers are putting a stop to free marijuana samples and public consumption at festivals, unless the event itself is free to enter. Local laws still ban public consumption of pot, but the Oregon Cannabis Association's Summer Fair will officially be giving out free samples for adults over 21 to take home. The Summer Fair will take place July 24th at Portland's North Warehouse and will feature dozens of local marijuana businesses hoping to better inform the public about their cannabis products. Strict city rules will be enforced at the fair by four compliance officers who are paid by city marijuana licensing fees, and extra security is expected around the perimeter. Property owners and promoters of the event face fines up to $5,000 if rules are violated.

Victor Salinas, the city's marijuana policy coordinator, said Thursday that the city has advised organizers to check photo identification of attendees, as well as hire "enough security to monitor the perimeter to make sure no one is entering other than by the established entrance and exit."