stoner owner
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JACKSON C M CORMACK
oregonlEAF.COM
NATURAL WONDERS As the owner of Natural Wonders, a Southeast Portland spot that predates the OLCC-regulated recreational market, Jackson McCormack is, in the parlance of our times, an Oregon OG. We connected with McCormack in May to discuss his history with the Cannabis plant and to get his take on the industry and some of the products he’s been digging lately. JUNE 2020
WHAT INITIALLY DREW YOU TO THE CANNABIS PLANT? I had a lot
of different experiences with Cannabis growing up, but I really became drawn to the plant while in Ashland attending Southern Oregon University. This was the first time I regularly consumed, the first time I saw a Cannabis plant and where I first rolled both a blunt and a joint. I had a good friend at school get involved with the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, and it wasn’t long until I was a caregiver and grower for registered patients of my own. The medical usage of Cannabis was fascinating to me, as was the cultivation. Ashland is the perfect place to learn about the plant, and I took my new passion home when I moved back to Portland and continued working with OMMP patients.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU FACE WORKING IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY?
I would say the biggest general obstacles have been banking and taxes. Retail is one of the most impacted Cannabis businesses when it comes to draconian codes like 280e, where businesses like ours aren’t able to deduct normal expenses. The extreme effective tax rates are compounded by banking options that are littered with fees, overzealous reporting and inspection requirements - and limited overall. Oregon also presents some unique challenges because it has an unlimited investment pool, allowing out of state and even foreign investors into a market that can only sell products to people physically in Oregon. Large groups have spent millions acquiring smaller, locally owned businesses and saturating the market with low grade offerings that drive down the value of similar, high quality options that are only related in name.
INTERVIEW by TOM BOWERS @PROPAGATECONSULTANTS | PHOTO by CHRIS RYAN @CANNABIS.PHOTO for OREGON LEAF
