Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission

by Christie Scott You may have heard some say that liquor is cheaper in California. The facts are that only a handful of products are significantly lower, while most products are very competitive. In fact, after you’ve added in the California sales tax, many popular products in Oregon are actually less expensive. Many retail stores in states like California use a sales tactic called “loss leaders.” This is the practice of drastically marking down a few popular, fast-moving products to entice customers into coming into the store and purchasing other products. But then other products are likely marked higher to make up the cost difference. The OLCC does not use these techniques to entice people into liquor stores. For public safety reasons, the state does not try to encourage alcohol sales or try to entice people into the stores. The most common size bottle sold in Oregon is 750 ml also known as "fifths." Most people who purchase alcohol purchase this size - a...

by Joy Spencer Recent media attention has raised questions by many about a booth operated by the Oregon Bartenders’ Guild that is selling hard liquor.  Hopefully we can clear up some of the confusion as to how allowing this booth to temporarily sell alcohol is different than issuing an annual license to a food cart.    For years, OLCC has allowed food carts or “open-air booths” to have temporary sales licenses.  What we believe caught the attention of the news media is that this particular temporary sales license is positioned in a popular food cart area in Southeast Portland. Given the timing of the OLCC’s current discussion of what legal options are available in regard to issuing annual licenses to food carts - we can understand the reporters’ confusion.  There will be an informational presentation on the topic of issuing an annual license (like that issued to a bar or restaurant) to a food cart during the Commission this month in Bend. ...

by Christie Scott At a special meeting, the Commissioners of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission voted 4-1 in favor of banning alcoholic energy drinks from being sold in the state of Oregon . The decision came as a result of new information regarding OLCC’s legal options concerning alcoholic energy drinks as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent ruling. Chairman Philip Lang says the OLCC has been concerned about the health risks of these products for some time. According to Lang, "It’s unfortunate that so many young people around the country were hurt by these products. We’re glad that we can play a role in preventing that from happening here in the future.” The seven products affected by the ban include Core High Gravity HG Green, Core High Gravity HG Orange, Lemon Lime Core Spiked, Moonshot, Four Loko, Joose, and Max, which were determined to be “adulterated” products by the FDA because they contain the “unsafe food additive” of caffeine. The ban on...

This Friday, Dec. 5 marks the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, ending the 13-year stretch when alcohol was banned from coast to coast. In January 1920, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect making the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol illegal nationally. But, many years before that - even before Oregon was a state, Oregonians tried to control the manufacture and sale of liquor. The Anti-Saloon League, the leading prohibitionist organization in the early 20th century. In June of 1844, Oregon's provisional government enacted a prohibition law designed to “prevent the introduction, sale and distillation of ardent spirits in Oregon.” This law remained in effect until September of 1849, when the territorial legislature repealed it. Rather than total prohibition, Oregon passed various laws in the following decades designed to regulate liquor sales. These acts tended to specify certain licensing criteria for the selling of liquor, and in...

From time to time, we receive questions on whether the OLCC requires anyone buying or being served alcohol to have a valid ID on them. The OLCC requires licensees to check ID of anyone who reasonably appears 26 years old or younger. An establishment might have a restriction on their liquor license due to a history of serving alcohol to minors or allowing minors in prohibited areas. In this case, it could be that a licensed business is required to check the ID of every person entering the establishment or being sold/served alcoholic beverages. Or, a business can choose to have a stricter ID policy than what the state requires. If you’re at a restaurant with your underage friend or relative, you might not be served - even if you have the ID to show you’re of age. Some businesses will refuse service if they suspect that you might furnish the alcoholic beverage to a minor at your table. Current accepted forms of ID include a valid state driver license with a photo; a valid DMV ID card wit...

Actually, the OLCC offers about 1,700 different distilled spirits items. The distribution center regularly carries about 1,300 items, and that number swells by at least 30 percent when adding special orders and one-time product offerings. Customers are responding enthusiastically to the wide variety of new distilled spirits and the agency continues to expand its product line to meet the demand. By continually evaluating the product line, the OLCC provides consumers with new beverage varieties as they are introduced and eliminates non-performing items.