What's new
  • ICMag with help from Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest in November! You can check it here. Prizes are seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!

The Oregon Weed Thread -Grows, News and Laws and Whatever

B

Big Sur

Member
And as a result of the new Oregon testing rules... (or lack thereof):

On Wednesday, Beau Whitney, an economist and former cannabis industry executive, published results of a survey of 72 marijuana businesses that showed 16 were shutting down and 11 planned to lay off between five and 25 employees as a result of the testing requirements.

The above was taken from (updated Dec. 5, 2016):

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2016/12/03/oregon-hopes-eased-testing-rules-will-calm.html
 
B

Big Sur

Member
And more this week on the weed testing backlog impact here...

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2016/12/marijuana_industry_brought_to.html

Fortunately for me, I grew more than enough weed to get me through this year and next. But if I had to, I am close to the WA state border and I could go up there and buy low priced weed as the market seems to be flooded by rec growers there.

As a state? We are failing in rolling out Measure 91, a full 2 years after the fact.
 
R

Robrites

Medford ponders if pot grown in greenhouses is 'outside

Medford ponders if pot grown in greenhouses is 'outside

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) -- Medford officials are considering whether the city's ban on outdoor marijuana cultivation also applies to greenhouses.

The City Council on Thursday will hold a study session to discuss what constitutes a legitimate structure in the city and where marijuana can be grown, The Mail Tribune reported (https://is.gd/Nyy8wT ).

"I don't know what the definition of a greenhouse would be," Councilor Tim Jackle said. "I'd be interested to hear about it."

Voters in November ruled that cannabis should only be grown indoors in the city, but a resident contacted Councilor Kevin Stine asking what inside really means.

"In my mind, it counts as indoors," Stine said.

Councilor Michael Zarosinski said he hadn't really considered the issue, but in general he would be inclined to believe a greenhouse is a legitimate structure if it had a steel frame and panes of glass. He said something made of plastic sheeting doesn't seem like a structure.

"There would have to be some sort of permanency to the structure that qualifies it as indoor," Zarosinski said.

Deputy City Attorney Kevin McConnel said the ordinance was not intended to go after grows in structures or accessory dwellings. He said the council will likely consider the questions "what is a greenhouse?" and "what makes a structure?"

Even if marijuana is being grown indoors or in a greenhouse, growers are at risk of violating the city's odor ordinance. If a neighbor complains about the smell and police determine it is offensive, the grower would need to address the issue or risk a fine.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OR_MEDFORD_POT_GREENHOUSES_OROL-?SITE=ORLAG&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
 
B

Big Sur

Member
I was wondering if this would happen. F'ing Medford. :moon:

Medford seems to be more in line with California and Prop 64 than Oregon and Measure 91. Maybe they should jump states?

In my discussion with the OLCC over indoors vs outdoor growing license areas using greenhouses, they said that if a greenhouse is lighted it is considered indoors, and if it is not lighted, it is considered outdoors. Meaning I could not grow in a greenhouse with a grow license covering an outdoor area using HID lights to augment early and late blooming strains. I would be limited to an indoor grow area (1/4 of the same license outdoor area) with that setup. Or... light 1/3 of the greenhouse area and leave 2/3 of the greenhouse unlighted, and have a half outdoor and half indoor growing area (which can be done with a single grow license). As an alternative, a greenhouse does not require a building permit here, whereas a wood frame structure over 200 square feet would require a county building permit with inspections and subsequent increase in property tax liability for land improvement. However a greenhouse requires a 10 foot perimeter wall, which also requires a building permit, but results in no (or a small) tax liability. There are lots of potential trade-offs and some variable grow options. I cannot see growing here outdoors w/o a greenhouse. This year is more typical with early rains than last year was with very late rains.
 
Last edited:
PDX Dopesmoker

PDX Dopesmoker

Active member
Big Sur, I have a clever and experimental solution to your problem.
If you can convince the OLCC that you're not using electricity to generate light, but that you're using compressed light (harvested naturally from the environment locally and organically and then stored in cannisters) and that as such the outdoor grow tent doesn't have lights, but you do have some electrically powered pumps which are needed to retrieve the stored natural sunlight from your compressed light canisters (refillable & recyclable) and to shower those stored natural, pollution free photons upon the plants. You'll need maybe some black tubing and largish gas canisters to make it look legit and some "Warning: Compressed light" stencils. If they ask to see the gear make them wear very dark safety goggles. You might want to find an attorney who never studied physics too.
Its somewhat doubtful that the OLCC folks you end up talking to would be educated well enough to know that it's bullshit and if they do buy the story then just think about what you can do with "compressed light" expenses when it comes time to calculate your taxes.
 
B

Big Sur

Member
:woohoo:I want some of the weed that you have been smoking!

Yah, light storage. Sadly as an electrical engineer, I know that is not available as yet. I would love to make a similar heat storage canister as well, which would really be the same thing, as heat is just a form of low frequency light (or electromagnetic radiation). I could store heat all summer and drain it all winter. The storage capacity would be the issue with today's technology though; it would take several million gallons of water. Or... a flux capacitor. I believe that they stored energy on the star ship Enterprise in a flux capacitor. You could likely store light energy in there as well. Sadly the laws of physics get in the way of that happening though.

Note that there are several inspections in the process of getting a grow license here. The county wants to inspect anything that needs a permit, including structures, fences, plumbing, and electrical. I have had the county out here before for building permit violations, and they are not that dumb. I would certainly need an electrical permit, even for 1/3 the area, after a review and approval by the utility company of the local electrical impact on grid out here. That would likely not be approved. The county here will also check if you are on any easement, and everyone else on the easement has to agree with your grow operation. Then the OLCC want verification that you have a water right and proper zoning and a plan in place, all in a county that allows rec growing. Then they will come out and inspect everything before issuing the license, and they and the county can come out and inspect your grow operation later at any time to make sure that you are in compliance, or if they receive any complaints.



PDX Dopesmoker said:
Big Sur, I have a clever and experimental solution to your problem.
If you can convince the OLCC that you're not using electricity to generate light, but that you're using compressed light (harvested naturally from the environment locally and organically and then stored in cannisters) and that as such the outdoor grow tent doesn't have lights, but you do have some electrically powered pumps which are needed to retrieve the stored natural sunlight from your compressed light canisters (refillable & recyclable) and to shower those stored natural, pollution free photons upon the plants. You'll need maybe some black tubing and largish gas canisters to make it look legit and some "Warning: Compressed light" stencils. If they ask to see the gear make them wear very dark safety goggles. You might want to find an attorney who never studied physics too.
Its somewhat doubtful that the OLCC folks you end up talking to would be educated well enough to know that it's bullshit and if they do buy the story then just think about what you can do with "compressed light" expenses when it comes time to calculate your taxes.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
B

Big Sur

Member
BTW: I ran the numbers on an indoor tier I micro grow operation here, and that resulted in some staggering costs. An indoor tier I micro grow area is only 625 square feet with 3x3 foot spacing per plant. That would require 70 x 400 watt MH grow lights. 70 400w MH grow lights would cost me $14,000. Running 70 lights would drain 28k watts per hour, and even at a rate of 10 cents a KwHr here, that is about $3 an hour to run the indoor microgrow farm, or $60 a day running 20/4, or $1,850 a month, equal to $21,900 a year for electricity. *cough* There would also be added electrical costs to run fans 24/7, and the cost of industrial fans. Then there is the building cost of the structure and electrical line and pole and wiring, as well as building permits which I figure would be at least $25,000 (no labor costs, I would build it myself). Then I would have luxury of an added property tax liability of $300+ more a year, and the $1,000 a year grow license fees. Also the need for a security system including cameras/recording system and alarms, and a secure cash area (cash only business still, no banks will touch me growing weed), the bar coding and accounting system, OSHA compliance (even though I would not have any employees), and a weed handling permit. Then I would have to have the bagging and tagging/labeling system and a dry secure storage area for the weed while it is being tested at a lab. The there are the lab test fees, and only after it cleared and was all that happened could I find a buyer to pay me for it all.

The return could be good (I factor, based on my returns in previous grows) one pound per plant space per year, at a current Oregon premium indoor price of $1,600 a pound. That comes out to $112,000 a year, gross. I could turn a profit and get my money out the first year, if I factor no cost for labor. I have a water right (I am exempt, actually and I can pump 500 gallons a day here for commercial purposes). I am in a county that allows rec growing. I am in a farm forest zoned area. I have the skills and knowledge. But... it is a steep hill and would take a lot of money and time to get rolling. No rush, I can do it in the future when the current bottleneck for licenses is a lot lower.
 
seeded

seeded

Active member
We have roofs to keep out the rain, walls to block the wind, windows to open if it gets too warm or we need fresh air, we have lights if it's not bright enough to function and if it's too bright we have curtains to block out light too. It's funny how much humanhouses and greenhouses have in common :)

I'm off the belief that are an artificial environment of our creation with a clear barrier between it and the outside world. We might use the same air, light and water that's available outside but being green and showing a bit of ingenuity shouldn't be penalized. I think it really should boil down to natural vs artificially controlled environments. So outside in direct light, wind hitting it and roots in the Earth vs anything with walls and/or a roof that aims to control the major environmental factors.
 
PDX Dopesmoker

PDX Dopesmoker

Active member
Big Sur said:
:woohoo:I want some of the weed that you have been smoking!

Yah, light storage. Sadly as an electrical engineer, I know that is not available as yet. I would love to make a similar heat storage canister as well, which would really be the same thing, as heat is just a form of low frequency light (or electromagnetic radiation). I could store heat all summer and drain it all winter. The storage capacity would be the issue with today's technology though; it would take several million gallons of water. Or... a flux capacitor. I believe that they stored energy on the star ship Enterprise in a flux capacitor. You could likely store light energy in there as well. Sadly the laws of physics get in the way of that happening though.

Note that there are several inspections in the process of getting a grow license here. The county wants to inspect anything that needs a permit, including structures, fences, plumbing, and electrical. I have had the county out here before for building permit violations, and they are not that dumb. I would certainly need an electrical permit, even for 1/3 the area, after a review and approval by the utility company of the local electrical impact on grid out here. That would likely not be approved. The county here will also check if you are on any easement, and everyone else on the easement has to agree with your grow operation. Then the OLCC want verification that you have a water right and proper zoning and a plan in place, all in a county that allows rec growing. Then they will come out and inspect everything before issuing the license, and they and the county can come out and inspect your grow operation later at any time to make sure that you are in compliance, or if they receive any complaints.
Click to expand...

Thats right, you know - as an electrical engineer. Give yourself some credit for being unusually well educated. The regulators that come are probably gonna be dudes who went through school without cracking a book and scored a sweet state gov job because his uncle got it for him. I bet you could talk circles around him and explain your systems in a way even an OLCC layman could understand. Its risky though. On one hand you could get busted & on the other hand if you do pull it off you save a bunch of money, but you'd probably die of laughter.
Thanks for the compliment on my homegrown, the guy who breeds the seeds is local and staggeringly skilled at it (or very lucky) and I did a pretty nice job with the growing end of things this last summer. Shockingly potent bud, probably should be illegal. Or maybe the weed sucks and I'm just like this naturally, hard to tell from my perspective.

More reasonably, it seems like if you do pay for the reduced ceiling "with lights" license, you're still allowed to take advantage of available sunlight, that could save you some of the $22,000/y electricity bill, but sun grown cannabis fetches a lower price too.
 
S

Sluicebox

Member
Big Sur you state at a current indoor premium of $1600 per unit. Just last year going rate was $2200 per. What's the future hold if the big guys can make it work for them only profiting $50 or less per unit? I saw a model in here somewhere that stated their goal was to stay above $5 per lb after all costs involved. They figured they were big enough to pull it off. I would think the only way you could compete with that is great marketing of a superior product with excellent management. That's where most will stumble.

The money made during the Gold Rush went to the guy selling the shovels.
 
Dr.King

Dr.King

Member
Veteran
Sluicebox said:
Big Sur you state at a current indoor premium of $1600 per unit. Just last year going rate was $2200 per. What's the future hold if the big guys can make it work for them only profiting $50 or less per unit? I saw a model in here somewhere that stated their goal was to stay above $5 per lb after all costs involved. They figured they were big enough to pull it off. I would think the only way you could compete with that is great marketing of a superior product with excellent management. That's where most will stumble.

The money made during the Gold Rush went to the guy selling the shovels.
Click to expand...

Big business can't get their hands on the kinda seeds some people have. Nor do they care to flower a plant that takes 12+ weeks. People are too easy mode in this world. One seed that comes to mind is the Original Skunk #1 seeds I have from the 80's. I'm thinking 3-4k a pound maybe. :thank you:.
 
R

Robrites

Dr.King said:
Big business can't get their hands on the kinda seeds some people have. Nor do they care to flower a plant that takes 12+ weeks. People are too easy mode in this world. One seed that comes to mind is the Original Skunk #1 seeds I have from the 80's. I'm thinking 3-4k a pound maybe. :thank you:.
Click to expand...
I want summa them seeds!
 
Aota1

Aota1

Member
$50/lb. profit!? Wowzers that's hard to believe but i come from a different type of market. This is so new and seemingly improvised.
 
Dankwolf

Dankwolf

Active member
Aota1 said:
$50/lb. profit!? Wowzers that's hard to believe but i come from a different type of market. This is so new and seemingly improvised.
Click to expand...

Funny how the new market/legalazation has drop the bottom out on the market of old . bring back the old days 4k per lol . i know i am dreaming lol
 
S

Sluicebox

Member
Big Sur said:
And big business is already moving in on Oregon rec weed.

http://mjnewsnetwork.com/business/f...49-of-active-cannabis-grow-license-in-oregon/
Click to expand...

That company is based out of Florida. So the profits will not stay in this state but go elsewhere. Sorry if I sound like a whiny broken record but wouldn't it have been better to have local only? Then the profits and taxes work together within the state. I imagine that most black market (prior to legalization) money made here stayed here to be spent in the local economies. That in itself generated more money via taxes for the state than the current model. Seems that the state is content just getting a 15% cut and cares not where the rest goes.

I'm seeing some rural areas that were already depressed now in a free fall. When the Timber left the weed took over, now those small communities are specializing in making meth. Growers spent money when they went to town. Money spent here generated taxes. Sure the shop owners talked crap about them but loved it when they went shopping. It's not just Walmart that took out small town Oregon. I wish something could bring it back as those rural communities are the backbone of this state. Just bringing the Timber Industry back would be a huge boom.

I know there are a lot of outsiders who frequent this thread, I have nothing against you. I'm all for free market capitalization, provided it is truly a free market.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Latest posts

Top