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

[Phenome]

Thanks man. I figured someone would say something about the proximity of the kelp to boats/water dumps. Definitely something I will stray from. I could also look at tide charts for the area to make my hunt more specific in avoiding those contaminants.

Rotting kelp should be fine for the compost bin right? I'm not eating it. Won't it just rot and break down anyway?

It should be ok to use, but dried fresh foraged kelp would be better.
I say this because it will be rotting in anaerobic conditions, then when you add it to your compost pile, it would be the same as adding grass that has sat in a wet pile too long.
When you use grass clippings in a compost pile, it's smart to spred the grass out and let it dry before making it into compost to avoid anaerobic activity. I'm referring to fast/hot composting. The same would apply for kelp.
Pick up the book teaming with microbes, it's a great read.
Most of the info about the breakdown rate of kelp came from the next book "teaming with nutrients" id grab both if you have the chance.

When you find a good hot spot with diverse varieties of kelp on the coast let us know.
I'll talk to a friend of mine who does this and figure out where he likes to go and I'll keep you updated.

 

[Phenome]

This article will explain better then I can.
Hope this helps
Aerobic composting is decomposition of organic matter using microorganisms that require oxygen. The microbes responsible for composting are naturally occurring and live in the moisture surrounding organic matter. Oxygen from the air diffuses in to the moisture and is taken up by the microbes. As aerobic digestion takes place the by-products are heat, water and carbon dioxide (CO2). While CO2 can be classified as a greenhouse gas it’s evolution from the composting process is not counted in emissions. Additionally, CO2 is only 1/20th as harmful to the environment as methane (the main by-product of anaerobic degradation).
The heat produced in aerobic composting is sufficient to kill harmful bacteria and pathogens as these organisms are not adapted to these environmental conditions. It also helps support the growth of beneficial bacteria species including psychrophilic, mesophilic, and thermophilic bacteria which thrive at the higher temperature levels.

ANAEROBIC COMPOSTING

Anaerobic composting is decomposition that occurs using microorganisms that no not require oxygen to survive. In an anaerobic system the majority of the chemical energy contained within the starting material is released as methane. The process is characterised by very strong odours and only a small amount of heat is generated meaning decomposition takes much longer and doesn’t reach sufficient temperatures to safely kill plant pathogens, weed and seeds. To overcome these limitations external (artificial) heat is normally added.
As the material is broken down by anaerobic digestion, it creates a sludge-like material that is even more difficult to break down. This material, digestate, typically requires aerobic composting to complete the stabilisation process.

 

[Robrites]

Metrc Third Party Solution Providers Approved for Oregon's Cannabis Tracking System

Metrc Third Party Solution Providers Approved for Oregon's Cannabis Tracking System

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission and Metrc™ have approved PayQwick of Calabasas, California; eCannex of Boca Raton, Florida; Promium of Seattle, Washington; duber Technologies of Portland, OR; and Stemless of Portland, OR as validated software providers whose products are compatible for integration with the Oregon Recreational Marijuana Program Cannabis Tracking System (CTS).

Validated providers have developed software products to allow OLCC recreational marijuana licensees to electronically transmit inventory and sales data into the CTS, a time-saving step that eliminates the need for additional updating by manual data entry.

Other approved companies include: OMMPOS of Astoria, Oregon; Flowhub of Denver, Colorado; Greenbits of Portland, OR; Odava of Portland, OR; Adilas of Salida, CO; WeedTraQR of Seattle, Washington; BioTrackTHC of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Leaf Logix Technology of Roswell, Georgia, MJ Freeway of Denver, CO; ENT of Portland, Oregon, Fry Information Services of Eugene, OR; OtpiLeaf of Wichita, KS; Cannafo of Bend, OR; Proteus Business Solutions of Vista, CA, Todd Runstein of Portland, OR; Confident Cannabis of Palo Alto, CA; Guardian Data Systems of Vancouver, WA.

All licensees in Oregon’s Recreational Marijuana system are required to use the CTS. Licensees are not required to use POS or inventory management software and can enter their CTS data manually. The OLCC is not endorsing these software solutions.

The validation process only confirms the software provider’s ability to perform the specific functions identified, it does not validate the accuracy or quality of the data being uploaded. Licensees are responsible for ensuring their inventory and sales data is accurate in Oregon’s CTS even if using a validated software product.

A link to the full list of 3rd party solution providers, and their contact information, can be found on the Metrc Oregon website.

 

[Aota1]

We're executing our olcc license tomorrow morning. It has been a hell of a time getting here.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

We're executing our olcc license tomorrow morning. It has been a hell of a time getting here.

Whats going on with your inventory? Do you have any product that is going to be medical-only or that you won't able to sell after the start of the year?

 

[Aota1]

We're able to transfer our entire inventory but products we've taken in before October 1 have to be sold by march. Doing lots of intake the next few days

 

[kelly1376]

Here's a breakdown of the current recreational application statistics:

http://www.oregon.gov/olcc/marijuana/Documents/mj_app_stats_by_county.pdf

They appear to be moving thru getting apps approved at a pretty good rate now but there's still a big backlog:

997 producer apps in & 375 approved so far

508 dispensary apps in & 175 approved

19 lab apps & only 4 approved.

I imagine they'll work thru those producer apps & have most of them approved by June. I don't think the real effect of rec will be noticed until fall of next year. Very few approved producers were approved in time to get a legit '16 season going & the lab testing situation has things way backed up. My concern is this:

Despite the growth, there doesn’t appear to be much room for conventional farmers in the pot market. Seth Crawford, an Oregon State University instructor who specializes in pot policy studies, told the Capital Press in 2015 that the entire Oregon demand could be met on 35 acres in Southern Oregon, and the entire U.S. demand could be grown on 5,000 acres.

If half those apps are tier 1 and half tier 2 there's already 275 approved acres in production, with another 465 acres waiting for approval. At 2000 lbs per acre that's 1.48 million pounds of rec weed behind the pipe. Then add all the medical and individual production to that. Even if 100% of the population uses 1/4 lb per year that's only a market of 1 million pounds.

Should be one heck of a buyers market this time next year.

 

[Bradley_Danks]

If half those apps are tier 1 and half tier 2 there's already 275 approved acres in production, with another 465 acres waiting for approval. At 2000 lbs per acre that's 1.48 million pounds of rec weed behind the pipe. Then add all the medical and individual production to that. Even if 100% of the population uses 1/4 lb per year that's only a market of 1 million pounds.

Should be one heck of a buyers market this time next year.

If those stats are true then it seems real risky to invest into commercial rec businesses right now. Since all the weed is tracked and can't leave the state or go on the street that might make it tough to stay in business. I wonder how far they can drive rec prices down before either their weed stops selling from over supply or it becomes unprofitable to sell it.

 

[kelly1376]

I agree I think a lot of producers are gonna lose their shirts. Many of these big producer ops have multiple investors all expecting big pay days and that's probably not gonna happen for most of them, so many will likely shut down. Dispensaries should have a field day though. I'm not sure how much retail dispensary prices will drop because that's as much about marketing as anything else, but they should make out well on margins with all that wholesale product on the market.

 

[Sluicebox]

The state of Oregon got greedy seeing all those prospective tax dollars. They ruined the market. 15% tax on nothing = nothing. They would have done better rolling it out a different way by keeping it local with smaller ops. Taxes on a flooded market won't fill their big needy pockets.

I expect they'll do something to try to head it off. Whatever they come up with won't be good. Seemed like they cut out the med growers to protect their rec market for the Summer run of '16. Likely come out with a new ban on commercial crop halfway through the '17 season. Such as a type of fertilizer no longer allowed due to heavy metals or some bull shit. Will force half the commercial to pitch their run. The "Big Guys" are protected from on high. You'd all do well to follow suit and do exactly as they do. Copy their practices to the letter or you will find yourself holding the bag so to speak.

I'm already seeing reports drip feeding a war on the compost worms in Oregon. Calling them invasive species. Stating that they threaten the delicate biology of the region.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

Here's a breakdown of the current recreational application statistics:

http://www.oregon.gov/olcc/marijuana/Documents/mj_app_stats_by_county.pdf

They appear to be moving thru getting apps approved at a pretty good rate now but there's still a big backlog:

997 producer apps in & 375 approved so far

508 dispensary apps in & 175 approved

19 lab apps & only 4 approved.

I imagine they'll work thru those producer apps & have most of them approved by June. I don't think the real effect of rec will be noticed until fall of next year. Very few approved producers were approved in time to get a legit '16 season going & the lab testing situation has things way backed up. My concern is this:



If half those apps are tier 1 and half tier 2 there's already 275 approved acres in production, with another 465 acres waiting for approval. At 2000 lbs per acre that's 1.48 million pounds of rec weed behind the pipe. Then add all the medical and individual production to that. Even if 100% of the population uses 1/4 lb per year that's only a market of 1 million pounds.

Should be one heck of a buyers market this time next year.

Its not nearly enough production. I use about 5 pounds or so a year. 1000mg THC per day isn't unreasonable, anyone in the state can do it if they want to and most of them should, its fun. You're also not accounting for out of state visitors. Portland is getting to be a destination for dopesmokers' vacations.
The state government should probably have the OSU ag department start a 1000+ acre experimental grow to help the industry establish more efficient and profitable production processes. The crop should be held in reserve and used for further research in curing, medicine and dabs and in the case of a shortage it could be made available to the general public.

 

[Robrites]

ODA Creates Handout with Cannabis Weights & Measures Information

ODA Creates Handout with Cannabis Weights & Measures Information

The message below is from our partners at the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Do you sell your product by weight? Are you entering information into Metrc for OLCC, or documenting weights for the Oregon Health Authority? You're going to need a scale.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture has compiled weights and measures information for the cannabis industry into a concise two page handout.

You can download the handout from the ODA website.

For scale specific questions contact the Weights and Measures Program at 503-986-4670.

For all other cannabis questions contact Sunny Jones, Cannabis Policy Coordinator, at 503-986-4565

 

[kelly1376]

Its not nearly enough production. I use about 5 pounds or so a year. 1000mg THC per day isn't unreasonable, anyone in the state can do it if they want to and most of them should, its fun. You're also not accounting for out of state visitors. Portland is getting to be a destination for dopesmokers' vacations.
The state government should probably have the OSU ag department start a 1000+ acre experimental grow to help the industry establish more efficient and profitable production processes. The crop should be held in reserve and used for further research in curing, medicine and dabs and in the case of a shortage it could be made available to the general public.

You're probably an extreme outlier as far as consumption goes compared to the average person though. Colorado did a billion in sales in 2015. At avg retail price of ~$5 a gram that's about 440 thousand pounds worth.

There's about 1.5 million more people in colorado compared to oregon. I dont see any way Oregon can use 3x the amount colorado does, which is about what it'd take for the state to use 1.4+ million pounds. And that's not including medical and small individual producers. I might be wrong I just don't see it happening.

It is worth noting though that none of this production will hit the market until the lab situation gets resolved and more labs come online. The state needs A LOT more labs. The lack of labs could keep things in a perceived bottleneck for a good while.

 

[Robrites]

Authorities investigating assault, robbery at a legal marijuana grow

Authorities investigating assault, robbery at a legal marijuana grow

Four masked intruders severely beat and robbed a marijuana grower in Jackson County this month in the first reported instance of violent crime at a state-licensed cannabis production operation.

The assailants woke James Bowman in the early hours of Dec. 16, broke his nose and left him with black eyes, county sheriff's officials said. They filled a rented U-Haul truck with hundreds of pounds of harvested marijuana and took off.

Hours later, two of Bowman's workers discovered the 56-year-old, still tied up and cold, sheriff's officials said. The robbers had left the door to his house open.

Bowman, a longtime marijuana grower in southern Oregon, was hospitalized for several days.

The break-in and theft unfolded in the rural community of Wimer, where Bowman started growing medical marijuana two years ago. He had moved there after federal agents and local police raided his large farm in Ruch in 2012 before Oregonians legalized marijuana for recreational use.

Bowman, who was on track that year to be the state's largest producer of medical marijuana, wasn't charged with a crime after the raid, which wiped out his crop.

This year, Bowman applied for and received a producer license for his business, BlueSky Gardens, from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the agency that oversees recreational cannabis. He is one of more than 350 licensed marijuana growers producing for the recreational market.

Bowman holds a tier two license, the larger of the two license types issued for outdoor production. Under state rules, he can produce cannabis on up to 40,000 square feet of land.

The liquor commission inspected Bowman's farm in August; inspectors concluded the grow site met the state's requirements.

Mark Pettinger, a commission spokesman, said the agency will conduct an administrative investigation into the security breach once the criminal investigation concludes. Bowman reported the theft to the commission as required.

A message left for Bowman with his attorney, Robert Graham, of Grants Pass, wasn't returned Thursday.

Experienced marijuana growers in southern Oregon, the epicenter of outdoor production, say break-ins, thefts and robberies are not a new threat. What sets Bowman's case apart is the rapid response of law enforcement, longtime growers said.

"Growers have been calling law enforcement for years and gotten no response," said longtime southern Oregon grower Brent Kenyon. "It's absolutely awesome that we are seeing a response" to the robbery at Bowman's property.

Jackson County Detective Jason Penn said Thursday the agency is taking the case seriously and vigorously investigating it. Penn said the marijuana was stolen from a large cargo container, which had been secured with a padlock.

"The locks are easily clipped off," he said.

The assailants damaged the state-required security system. Authorities are still trying to assess what surveillance footage remains on the system, he said.

The thieves struck as the crop was at its most valuable: Bowman's marijuana had been harvested and cured and was ready for market.

"It's all buttoned up nicely in big totes and it's ready to go," Penn said. "It's like coming to someone's house on Christmas Eve and taking all their goodies."

The price of marijuana fluctuates depending on the time of year and whether it was grown indoors or outdoors. Premium outdoor marijuana is worth $1,600 to $2,100 on the wholesale market, said Aviv Hadar, whose Bend company Oregrown produces, processes and sells recreational cannabis. It's worth double on the retail market, he said.

The stolen cannabis is headed for the black market, but it's hard to say how and where the thieves will unload it, said Hadar. He speculated that it may be processed into popular cannabis oils. It could end up in California or across the country, where Oregon cannabis fetches top dollar.

Hadar said he has round-the-clock security staff to deter thieves from entering his property.

Security, he said, is a preoccupation for many growers.

"It keeps us up at night," he said.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

You're probably an extreme outlier as far as consumption goes compared to the average person though. Colorado did a billion in sales in 2015. At avg retail price of ~$5 a gram that's about 440 thousand pounds worth.

There's about 1.5 million more people in colorado compared to oregon. I dont see any way Oregon can use 3x the amount colorado does, which is about what it'd take for the state to use 1.4+ million pounds. And that's not including medical and small individual producers. I might be wrong I just don't see it happening.

It is worth noting though that none of this production will hit the market until the lab situation gets resolved and more labs come online. The state needs A LOT more labs. The lack of labs could keep things in a perceived bottleneck for a good while.

I might be an outlier currently, but thats only because government people make such an effort to keep the price of dope artificially high which depresses demand substantially. With tolerance anyone can eat a couple thousand mg of THC a day and have great time doing so. You seem to be gung-ho about preventing that coming to pass, I disagree.

 

[Dr.King]

I might be an outlier currently, but thats only because government people make such an effort to keep the price of dope artificially high which depresses demand substantially. With tolerance anyone can eat a couple thousand mg of THC a day and have great time doing so. You seem to be gung-ho about preventing that coming to pass, I disagree.

Hell yea man. 1/4 of a pound a year is insanely low. Here's the math break down on that 1/4. 4 oz's is 112 grams which basically means you smoke .3 grams a day. My mother which just started smoking cannabis, smokes a half a month. My family smokes about 4 oz's a month and that's holding back . If we where rolling blunts everyday we could easily push that up too a half pound. Snoop dog probably smokes a pound a week and believe it or not there's lots of people that smoke blunts all day everyday.

 

[socioecologist]

1/4 pound per person per year is the average consumption rate in Oregon, but most people consume much less. You are considered a "super user", i.e. part of the 20% minority of users who consume over 80% of the total amount of product and push the average up to 1/4 lb per person/year. Don't forget that only 14% of Oregonians consumed cannabis in the last year...

It's a bit out of date with all the changes that have occurred in the past few years, but I wrote the first (and to the this point, only) study of cannabis market size for Oregon back in 2012. I can guarantee that the total use hasn't increased remarkably since then (controlling for population changes).

http://people.oregonstate.edu/~crawfors/assets/hjsr--estimating-the-quasi-underground.pdf

With those total demand figures and current production techniques considered, we could produce all of the state's demand on a little over 35 acres in southern Oregon (I presented invited testimony to the M91 committee in 2015 on this). Unless you are vertically integrated from farm to storefront, the long term business prospects for THC cannabis farming are not bright.

 

[Aota1]

Unless you have excellent product. Then you're good*

 

[socioecologist]

Unless you have excellent product. Then you're good*

Totally correct. I never say that to people though, as it tends to reinforce the long-established delusional tendency of most growers to believe that their product is the best around.

 

[Aota1]

As a long time grower who has only gotten into the retail side just over a year ago, I wouldn't want to compete with some of the incredible growers up here. Any humboldt chip on my shoulder has diminished as I've seen more and more amazing herb. There's also a whole lot of rank amateurs running around that aren't going to fare so well. It's certainly not worth it to me, but more power to those proceeding!