Oregon alcohol businesses have been more than four times as likely as marijuana stores to sell to underage decoys during compliance checks conducted this year, according to a Marijuana Herald analysis of newly available state data.
From January 1 through August 28, Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) records show 66 sales during 368 minor-decoy checks of alcohol businesses, a failure rate of 17.9%.
Marijuana retailers made just seven sales during 167 checks over the same period, a failure rate of 4.2%.
That means an OLCC minor decoy sent into an alcohol business was approximately 4.3 times as likely to complete a purchase as one sent into a marijuana store.
The disparity remains even after accounting for one of the most important potential differences in how the inspections are conducted.
OLCC conducts both random and targeted minor-decoy operations, with targeted checks generally conducted in response to community concerns. If alcohol businesses were simply being targeted more frequently because regulators already suspected problems, that could distort a comparison of the overall results.
But restricting the 2026 analysis entirely to random operations produces nearly the same result.
Among random checks through August 28, alcohol businesses made sales in 51 of 258 attempts, a 19.8% failure rate. Marijuana retailers made sales in six of 119 random attempts, a 5% failure rate.
Alcohol businesses were therefore approximately 3.9 times as likely as marijuana retailers to sell during randomly selected checks.
The difference is also not unique to 2026.
In 2023, alcohol businesses sold to decoys in 279 of 1,258 checks, or 22.2%, compared with 90 sales in 694 marijuana checks, or 13%.
In 2024, the alcohol failure rate was 21.6%, with 315 sales in 1,460 checks. Marijuana retailers made 68 sales in 702 checks, a rate of 9.7%.
Because OLCC’s historical marijuana dataset ends on July 17, 2025, while its historical alcohol data extends further into the year, The Marijuana Herald limited the 2025 comparison to the period ending July 17.
During that identical period, alcohol businesses made 172 sales in 915 checks, an 18.8% failure rate, compared with 24 sales in 434 marijuana checks, or 5.5%. Alcohol businesses were about 3.4 times as likely to make a sale.
The year-by-year comparison shows the gap widening:
| Period | Alcohol sale rate | Marijuana sale rate | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 22.2% | 13.0% | 1.7 times |
| 2024 | 21.6% | 9.7% | 2.2 times |
| 2025 through July 17 | 18.8% | 5.5% | 3.4 times |
| 2026 through August 28 | 17.9% | 4.2% | 4.3 times |
The data indicates compliance has improved in both industries, but substantially faster among marijuana retailers.
OLCC uses people ages 18 to 20 who appear younger than 26 for its minor-decoy operations. According to the agency, decoys do not conceal their actual age or encourage a business to make a sale. Licensees can face civil and criminal penalties for selling to people under 21, potentially including loss of their license.
Although Oregon’s identification rules for marijuana and alcohol are structured somewhat differently, that distinction does not appear to explain the disparity in minor-decoy results.
Marijuana retailers generally must verify qualifying identification before selling marijuana to a consumer. Alcohol businesses are required to verify a customer’s age when there is reasonable doubt that the person is at least 21.
Under OLCC rules, however, reasonable doubt exists when a person appears to be younger than 26. The agency’s minor decoys are specifically required to look younger than 26.
That means alcohol businesses confronted with OLCC’s minor decoys are also expected to verify their age before completing a sale.
The substantially higher alcohol failure rate therefore persists even though the decoys used in the program fall within the age-appearance range that triggers identification requirements for alcohol sellers.
The latest results are particularly notable because marijuana retailers are not merely outperforming alcohol businesses in aggregate. The advantage persists when targeted investigations are removed, across multiple years of state records and as the marijuana industry’s failure rate has fallen into the low single digits.
In 2026, marijuana retailers have refused a sale in approximately 95.8% of the checks examined by The Marijuana Herald. Alcohol businesses have refused approximately 82.1%.
OLCC recently transitioned its licensing and compliance records to its Cannabis and Alcohol Management Program, or CAMP. The current marijuana minor-decoy dataset begins November 14, 2025, while the current alcohol dataset begins December 11, 2025. The Marijuana Herald used matching date ranges when comparing the two industries to prevent differences in reporting periods from affecting the results.
The data does not establish why marijuana retailers are substantially more likely to refuse underage buyers. Differences in identification requirements, employee practices, business types, training and enforcement incentives could all contribute.
What the records do show is that under the same state regulator’s minor-decoy program, Oregon’s marijuana retailers have consistently outperformed alcohol businesses at preventing sales to underage decoys, with the difference reaching its widest level in the years examined during 2026.
