The city of Oregon’s longstanding reputation as a source of high-quality marijuana also brings certain drawbacks. One example is people who produce illegally and use considerable cash to lease or acquire land.
The manufacturing process also had pollutants, garbage, and a drainage line. The Oregon Legislature has attempted to address the issue by passing legislation holding landowners accountable for these issues on their properties.
Those in the legislature were concerned that the Bill would confiscate and criminalize the identification documents of the migrant workers who care for the plants and restriction the use of rivers or groundwater at unlawful locations. Or notify authorities to have them deported.
Suppose the owner of land used for illicit marijuana growing does not pay for cleanup or otherwise creates an obstacle. The local government may file a lien claim against the property.
Oregon to crack down on illegal pot growers by holding landowners responsible https://t.co/WjuLTV9FzE
β KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) June 9, 2023
According to the head of the state agency regulating cannabis and alcohol, Southern Oregon is to weed what Bordeaux is to wine.
The president and CEO of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America @WSWAMedia authored a new op-ed for Marijuana Moment arguing that the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is the best agency to federally regulate legal cannabis.https://t.co/H5HN0aMetw
β Tom Angell π³π°β₯ (@tomangell) May 17, 2023
However, there are two significant problems that the state has to deal with An oversupply of products in the black market has lowered prices and profit margins and increased the number of illegal pot farms operating under the premise of producing cannabis, which became legal countrywide in 2018.
Despite opposition from sure Republicans, the bill passed the Senate and the House on Wednesday, and House Speaker Dan Rayfield signed it on Wednesday. It will likely be signed by Democratic Governor Tina Kotek next week.
Republican Senator Dennis Linthicum of Oregon declared on the Senate floor, “This is an assault on property rights here in Oregon.” But Ashland state senator Jeff Golden warned that landowners should be prepared to be “approached with a request to lease their property for tens of thousands at the beginning of the growing season, sometimes for a year Hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Yes, we changed the bill that would have paused hemp licenses 2 years statewide. Now individual counties can decide to opt in or out, but CURRENT farmers arenβt affected. They can keep right on growing. https://t.co/pKkZpAFT17
β Jeff Golden (@SenatorGolden) February 14, 2022
Although numerous offers to purchase land were made, some witnesses have recalled being handed backpacks full of cash. A landlord received three offers last year, one of which stated, “We pay cash and offer a fast closing.” After police seized illegal cannabis farms in Jackson County, sheriff Nathan Sickler informed lawmakers that neither landlords nor suspects tried to remove the flimsily constructed greenhouses (sometimes called “hoop houses”). Waste from toilets and other sources, such as plastics and chemicals, have been dumped in them.
“Frankly, it’s an eyesore for our community, and we have no way of dealing with it,” Sickler added. The authorities also claimed that criminal groups from Mexico, Russia, and other nations became interested in the area around two years ago because of the optimal growing circumstances.
The laborers who keep these farms running often use open latrines and sleep in filthy circumstances, and they aren’t always paid what they’re owed.
Authorities in the state confiscated over a hundred tons of illegal marijuana in the past year.
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As a result of all the busts, the remaining growth operations have shrunk in size and spread out around the state.
Here are some reasons why landowners support the Bill: The Bill has been well received by landowners who have been harassed by developers and whose properties have been damaged by illegal construction.
At least most landowners were aware of the error of their ways. Jack Dwyer, who lives in the Selma area, thinks this step will “help stem the tide.” In 2021, Dwyer claimed that the water in a nearby creek that ran through his property had been diverted to an illegal development site, leaving his land parched. Christopher Hall, who works to involve the public in water management, said the law demonstrates the state of Oregon’s commitment to addressing the issue of large-scale illegal cannabis production.
Sites that don’t have permits “not only turn streams into gravel roads, but also lead to serious human rights violations and dumping garbage, sewage, chemicals, and other waste into ditches, riparian areas, and streams,” he said. Before Republican senators started a walkout on May 3, protesting Democratic standards on abortion, gender-affirming treatment, and gun safety, the Senate had already approved the proposal.
On May 31st, the House voted to legalize recreational marijuana by a margin of 53 to 3. The bill has been sent to Kotek for his signature, at which point it will become law. Kotek spokesperson Elizabeth Shepard said,
“The governor supports cracking down on illegal cannabis operations prevalent in southern Oregon.”
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