You Can't Overdose on Pot-But Don't Eat Too Much of It AS MY POT COLUMNIST colleague Vince Sliwoski pointed out in his Ask a Pot Lawyer column last week, early recreational sales for cannabis edibles, extracts, and topicals will begin in Oregon on June 2. The edibles must stay at a low dose of 15 milligrams or less, while edibles sold to medical patients won't have a THC limit, just like at present. Why the difference between recreational and medical users? [continues 660 words]
Marijuana Production, Growing And Extraction Could Be Permitted In Makers District Marijuana dispensaries may soon be treated more like other businesses in Bend. The Bend City Council discussed a number of changes Wednesday night that may affect marijuana businesses. Council members read a few potential amendments to the Bend development code and the city code that relate to marijuana businesses and approved the first reading of those amendments. Back in December, the council adopted regulations for marijuana businesses. State Senate Bill 1511 was later adopted in February. The bill allows recreational marijuana licensees to register with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to produce, process, transfer or sell marijuana for medical purposes too. [continues 589 words]
The Deschutes County Commission has agreed to repeal the ban prohibiting recreational and medical marijuana businesses from operating in unincorporated parts of the county. It hasn't been an easy decision for the commissioners. It shouldn't be an easy decision given the complexities involved. But it was the right decision. The commissioners put the ban in place after becoming concerned about having adequate rules in place to regulate the crop. It was a temporary opt-out of the state rules allowing marijuana businesses. It did not stop medical marijuana grows or recreational use of pot. [continues 187 words]
Shayne Christen is a man of few words. Asked what he would do about economic development, if he were elected to the Josephine County Board of Commissioners, he replied, "We need to do something about more jobs. There's a lot of possibilities." Asked about what he would do about the county's public safety funding problem, he replied, "We've got to generate some more funds for that. It's going to take teamwork to find out where those funds are going to come from." [continues 365 words]
Legalization of marijuana in Oregon has created at least 2,165 jobs and will add more as the market matures, a new report suggests. Nearly $46 million in payroll will be paid to retail cannabis employees statewide in 2016, according to the "Oregon Cannabis Jobs Report," sponsored by cannabis industry consulting firms New Economy Consulting and Whitney Economics. By comparison, Oregon's beer, wine and liquor sector employed 1,450 people and paid $28 million in wages in 2015, according to Employment Department data. [continues 207 words]
For the past 10 to 15 years, every time a medical marijuana grower was raided, a spokesperson for the marijuana lobby would get in front of a camera or give a statement to a reporter saying words to the effect of "patients will suffer," or "where will my patients get their medicine?" The message discipline of the lobby was and continues to be highly effective. How could any caring person deny a patient their medicine? So, it was nothing short of miraculous on Jan. 1, 2015, when personal possession of marijuana became legal, that suddenly enough marijuana became available for massive free marijuana giveaways in several locations throughout the valley. [continues 586 words]
Neighbors Upset About Odors, Noise, Traffic With the start of the outdoor marijuana growing season, Jackson County officials are gearing up for complaints from neighbors upset about nearby grows. Last summer, neighbors complained about skunk-like odors from maturing marijuana plants, barking and aggressive guard dogs, people camping out to guard and tend crops, traffic, guns and noise. Although most marijuana plants are still small or haven't been transplanted outdoors yet this season, the county is already fielding complaints. "What we've experienced so far is people had neighbors growing last year. They're calling now to complain when the neighbors are not doing anything," said Jackson County Development Services Director Kelly Madding. [continues 1158 words]
Only a handful of medical marijuana growers have applied for Jackson County permits to keep growing on rural residential land - even though growers without permits face fines of up to $10,000 and orders to remove their plants. Most are flying under the radar, hoping to avoid detection rather than pay the $1,563 permit application fee. Jackson County has received only seven applications from growers hoping to be grandfathered in by qualifying for a pre-existing, non-conforming use permit. [continues 1117 words]
Clay Bearnson Believed to Be the First City Councilor in the State to Own Pot Shop A member of the Medford City Council, known for its tough stance on legalized marijuana, has opened his own dispensary. Clay Bearnson is believed to be the first city councilor in Oregon to own a cannabis dispensary, though that could not be immediately confirmed by the Oregon Health Authority. "That feels pretty cool," Bearnson said. Bearnson and five partners opened Oregon Farmacy at 1 W. Sixth St., Suite 104, in the Acme Building facing Evergreen Way, about two weeks ago. A grand opening is planned later. [continues 446 words]
What Last Week's Investor Pitch Forum Was Like LET'S PRETEND that you're operating or want to start a cannabis business. Maybe you want to grow, make edibles or concentrates, start or expand a dispensary, or produce ancillary products like rolling papers and vaporizers. Where do you get the funding? You can't get approved for a standard bank account if you're involved in the weed industry. So unless you own a scary clown mask and starter pistol, or have a wealthy elderly relative with a serious heart condition, your options are limited. [continues 609 words]
Here's What You Need to Know About the New Rules for Edibles, Topicals, and Concentrates I HEARD we all get to buy cannabis edibles soon. How does this work? Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 2. Those who are 21 and over will be able to buy edibles-and extracts and topicals, too. You may recall that a few months back, the Oregon Legislature passed an "emergency" raft of weed bills. One of them authorized expansion of the early-start program, under which regular joes have bought flower and plants at medical marijuana dispensaries since last October. Because the early-start program was successful, and because the Oregon Health Authority's (OHA) regulatory infrastructure was close to built out, the legislature said "sure." [continues 387 words]
The recreational marijuana market in Oregon will grow beyond flower, into edibles and extracts, in less than a month. Starting June 2, medical marijuana dispensaries registered with the Oregon Health Authority will be able to sell low-dose edibles containing no more than 15 milligrams of THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, and extracts with 1,000 milligrams of THC or less to recreational customers. Currently, only people with -Oregon - -Medical Marijuana -Program cards are able to purchase -edibles and extracts. [continues 291 words]
Cannabis Helps with PTSD, and So Can You I'M A BIG SUPPORTER of allowing armed forces veterans access to cannabis-seeing as how I'm a huge wussy who wouldn't have made it through three hours of basic training, much less full-on combat. I have enough trouble fighting off a cold. Recently it seems hell may have frozen over, as the Drug Enforcement Administration has authorized a study to see how the use of smoking cannabis can treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It's the first clinical study on PTSD to use cannabis in its raw, smokeable form. [continues 592 words]
Jackson County Company Among First Eight Licensees A Jackson County company is among the first eight businesses statewide to receive a coveted recreational marijuana growing license from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. The OLCC this week announced the first recipients, which include Southern Oregon Cannabis Co. LLC., located off East Evans Creek Road north of Rogue River. "It is very exciting for sure," said owner Devin Ellis. He said about a dozen family members and friends are working for the company. After receiving the license, they planted marijuana seeds, which are beginning to sprout. [continues 502 words]
The federal government says it's reviewing marijuana's status as a Schedule 1 drug, a move that - regardless of what you think about the drug - is long overdue. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency made the announcement in a memo to lawmakers and said it hopes to have a decision ready sometime in the first half of this year. Marijuana has long been classified as a Schedule 1 drug, but the classification is as ludicrous today as it was back in the day. The Schedule 1 category is for substances which are not considered to have "any currently accepted medical use in the U.S., a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision and a high potential for abuse." By point of comparison, heroin also is a Schedule 1 drug. [continues 425 words]
What's It Like to Live with a Weed Columnist? OUR CANNABUZZ COLUMNIST had a rough week, starting with overconsumption on 4/20, followed by the loss of our greatest Granddaddy Purple, Prince. As Josh Jardine gets his head together, man, we bring in a special guest columnist-his long-suffering girlfriend. Wishing to remain anonymous (for myriad easy-to-understand reasons), let's refer to her as "C." As my boyfriend recovers from his newest self-designed 4/20 challenge, AKA "How Many Marijuana Gummies Can I Fit in My Mouth at One Time?" (Answer: 28, and also, why babe? Why?), I've been asked to take over this week's column. [continues 609 words]
The marijuana legalization question on the ballots in about a dozen states this fall may be a simple yes or no proposition. But today's conversation about marijuana is more complicated than you'd think, especially compared to the mostly one-sided debates of the war-on-drugs era. The campaigns in Massachusetts are already heating up. The proponents, a local affiliate of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, have been at it for a year, collecting signatures and building a base of support. The opposition opened its campaign this month, with Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh taking the lead and a new group, the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts, is backing them up. [continues 749 words]
Growers Have Inquired About Putting In Structures For Raising Marijuana At The Park The city of La Pine is attempting to refine its zoning ordinance to allow for indoor agriculture on industrial land in anticipation of marijuana being grown there. The La Pine Planning Commission will be holding a public hearing Tuesday at City Hall to consider a text amendment that would allow indoor agriculture within the city's industrial zone. The zoning ordinance change would also require growing to be done inside a permitted building instead of in a trailer or "hoop house," a structure with metal or plastic hoops covered by plastic. [continues 294 words]
The Eugene Home Science Club, which is more than 100 years old, has about two dozen members these days. All the women are age 60 or older. And for a recent meeting, their guest speaker was a state specialist in marijuana. As The Register-Guard reported, "With the advent first of medical marijuana, and last year of legal recreational marijuana, residents of all ages are curious about the intoxicating buds that rapidly are becoming big business." Only the federal government seems to be clueless about the big business of marijuana in Oregon and elsewhere. The feds still classify marijuana not only as an illegal drug but as one of the most dangerous. [continues 333 words]
Inside Oregon
