Portland May Get a 'Green Light District' for Weed

Watch: Kings of Cannabis

The state of Oregon legalized marijuana last July, and the sale of recreational weed in medical dispensaries has been allowed since October 1, but the state won't begin churning out Willy Wonka-esque pot retail stores until the second half of 2016.

In preparation for that, Portland City Councilors are voting Wednesday on zoning changes that could turn sections of the city's downtown into a "green light district," KATU reported Wednesday.

The changes would allow weed retail shops to open next door to each other, hopefully filling empty spaces in downtown areas like the Lloyd District and the South Waterfront and welcoming new tourism, Councilman Dan Saltzman told KATU.

"Marijuana retailers want to be downtown because they know it's high density, lot of volume of people, tourists," he said. "We shouldn't force them to be only 1,000 feet apart from each other."

The City Council will be voting on the changes during their regular Wednesday meeting, so we'll know soon enough if Portland's downtown will soon erupt into a cornucopia of pot-related boutiques.