The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is mulling the legality of federal water contracts supporting marijuana businesses, but a spokesman for the agency said no decision has been made.
“At the request of various water districts in the West, Reclamation is currently evaluating how the Controlled Substances Act applies in the context of Reclamation project water being used to facilitate marijuana-related activities,” Peter Soeth, a Reclamation spokesman at the agency’s Denver office, said. “We will work with our water districts once the evaluation is complete.”
The decision will be significant to hopeful marijuana growers in Eastern Washington, where much of the water used for agriculture is provided through contracts with Reclamation district offices. If the agency deems such contracts illegal, marijuana growers in Eastern Washington would have to rely on water sources regulated by municipalities or the state, such as wells.
Kittitas Reclamation District board member Urban Eberhart said there’s a “strong indication” the federal agency will ban contracts with marijuana businesses. Eberhart said the district is trying to get the word out in Kittitas County, where Reclamation water services more than 59,000 acres.
“We want to put it out there so people can know about it and be prepared for it,” Eberhart said.
The state Liquor Control Board has only issued 10 marijuana grower licenses after receiving thousands of applications last year. But Eberhart said there are applicants hoping to locate in areas serviced by the water district or who have already purchased land in those areas in the expectation of receiving a grower’s license.
Yakima Irrigation Project River Operations manager Chuck Garner said local districts asked the federal agency for clarification about a month ago. Garner said they asked for the clarification after local water districts received numerous inquiries from hopeful marijuana growers.
“We don’t know if there’s a formal policy or not that describes how federal water can be used to grow something that’s illegal in the eyes of the federal government,” Garner said.
Soeth, the Reclamation spokesman, said he did not know if federal water districts are already providing water to marijuana growers in Colorado, where the licensed growing of marijuana is already legal.
“We’ll work with our water districts once the evaluation is complete,” Soeth reiterated. “It’s not known when that would be done.”
Roza Irrigation District manager Scott Revell said he believes Reclamation’s current policies already forbid contracting water supplies out to marijuana businesses.
“Our view is that these are not new laws,” Revell said. “They’ve been around for many decades, so anything that would violate federal law is not a use we could deliver federal irrigation water for.”
The pending decision is just the latest federal hurdle the states of Washington and Colorado have dealt with since 2012 in implementing voter-approved laws legalizing the production of recreational marijuana.
The U.S. Department of Justice promised last year not to stop the implementation of the laws so long as the states followed strict criteria to prevent interstate trafficking of marijuana and keep profits out of the hands of criminal enterprises. In February, the Obama administration established rules through the Treasury Department to allow marijuana business owners to bank with federally insured financial institutions.
http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/la...n-reclamation-will-forbid-water-for-marijuana
“At the request of various water districts in the West, Reclamation is currently evaluating how the Controlled Substances Act applies in the context of Reclamation project water being used to facilitate marijuana-related activities,” Peter Soeth, a Reclamation spokesman at the agency’s Denver office, said. “We will work with our water districts once the evaluation is complete.”
The decision will be significant to hopeful marijuana growers in Eastern Washington, where much of the water used for agriculture is provided through contracts with Reclamation district offices. If the agency deems such contracts illegal, marijuana growers in Eastern Washington would have to rely on water sources regulated by municipalities or the state, such as wells.
Kittitas Reclamation District board member Urban Eberhart said there’s a “strong indication” the federal agency will ban contracts with marijuana businesses. Eberhart said the district is trying to get the word out in Kittitas County, where Reclamation water services more than 59,000 acres.
“We want to put it out there so people can know about it and be prepared for it,” Eberhart said.
The state Liquor Control Board has only issued 10 marijuana grower licenses after receiving thousands of applications last year. But Eberhart said there are applicants hoping to locate in areas serviced by the water district or who have already purchased land in those areas in the expectation of receiving a grower’s license.
Yakima Irrigation Project River Operations manager Chuck Garner said local districts asked the federal agency for clarification about a month ago. Garner said they asked for the clarification after local water districts received numerous inquiries from hopeful marijuana growers.
“We don’t know if there’s a formal policy or not that describes how federal water can be used to grow something that’s illegal in the eyes of the federal government,” Garner said.
Soeth, the Reclamation spokesman, said he did not know if federal water districts are already providing water to marijuana growers in Colorado, where the licensed growing of marijuana is already legal.
“We’ll work with our water districts once the evaluation is complete,” Soeth reiterated. “It’s not known when that would be done.”
Roza Irrigation District manager Scott Revell said he believes Reclamation’s current policies already forbid contracting water supplies out to marijuana businesses.
“Our view is that these are not new laws,” Revell said. “They’ve been around for many decades, so anything that would violate federal law is not a use we could deliver federal irrigation water for.”
The pending decision is just the latest federal hurdle the states of Washington and Colorado have dealt with since 2012 in implementing voter-approved laws legalizing the production of recreational marijuana.
The U.S. Department of Justice promised last year not to stop the implementation of the laws so long as the states followed strict criteria to prevent interstate trafficking of marijuana and keep profits out of the hands of criminal enterprises. In February, the Obama administration established rules through the Treasury Department to allow marijuana business owners to bank with federally insured financial institutions.
http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/la...n-reclamation-will-forbid-water-for-marijuana
