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

[Robrites]

New Communication Channels for Recreational Marijuana Licensees

New Communication Channels for Recreational Marijuana Licensees

New Communication Channels for Recreational Marijuana Licensees
Oregon Department of Agriculture Creates Cannabis ListServ
Metrc Launches Twitter Handle

March 4, 2016

Portland, Oregon – Two of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission’s partners in regulating Oregon’s Recreational Marijuana market have announced new channels for communicating with the marijuana industry and other stakeholders.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture has started a ListServ for cannabis cultivators. ODA has published an infographic about its role regulating cannabis. You can sign up for the ODA Cannabis ListServ here. You can find additional information here on the ODA Cannabis program.

Franwell Metrc™, the state of Oregon’s Cannabis Tracking System provider, has a new Twitter handle it’s using to communicate with the marijuana industry. Metrc will use its Twitter account to provide updates on product updates, training programs and schedules, and administrative updates. Metrc’s Twitter handle is: @Official_Metrc

Link to PDF http://www.oregon.gov/olcc/docs/news/news_releases/2016/nr030416_ODAList_FranwellTwitter_Final.pdf

 

[HorseMouth]

You know, it seemed to me that as a Medical grower you would only need one card for the amount of outdoor canopy you would need. Didn't it say 5,000 sq ft of OD canopy per card.

Even if those cards cost that much ($400 per card) Those fees are paid by the patient as a form of tax, b/c they will be getting the medicine from the grower.

$3200 spread over 8 people to grow 48 plants seems like a screaming deal to me. But it reads more like canopy size to me still.

These dispensaries are like restaurants. At least half will fail, for a multitude of reasons, and give way to others to pick up the licenses.

God Bless Oregon. Still the best to do what we are doing.

Peace

 

[Sluicebox]

Micro Grow would be a maximum of 5000 ft/2 outdoor or 1,250 ft/2 indoor. It is not per card but per grower and I think that will be address specific meaning you wouldn't be able to have 2 growers doing their own micro's at the same address.

The new sb1598 states specifically that growers are to pay the $200 grow site fee.

Your point of 48 plants please remember that you have to have a signed agreement with your patient otherwise it is all his/hers and they will likely want half of that.

I agree on Glad it's Oregon. I would rather be living through this here than read about it somewhere else.

There was another line in the law that concerns me. It looks like if your patient gets popped trying to flip product on his own outside the law, all your cards are pulled not just his/hers. Not fair at all as I'm not my brother's keeper just his grower.

 

[Robrites]

Pot grows illegal on rural residential land in Jackson County

Pot grows illegal on rural residential land in Jackson County

The Oregon Legislature has passed a bill that essentially makes marijuana growing on rural residential land in Jackson County illegal.

The Legislature clarified state law and said medical marijuana is a farm use, a legal term generally referring to an intensive agricultural operation. Recreational marijuana already was labeled as a farm use.

Jackson County law does not allow farm use on rural residential land, which is meant for quiet country living.

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners had considered property line buffers for medical marijuana grows on rural residential land, but discarded those buffers Thursday after learning of the legislative action.

The issue of growing on rural residential land had been hotly debated locally, with neighbors complaining about problems with grows and medical marijuana growers saying they provide much-needed medicine.

Commissioners will make a final decision on adopting a host of new county regulations on the growing, processing and selling of marijuana on March 16. The new laws would be adopted under emergency provisions and would go into effect on that date. Marijuana growing will be allowed in exclusive farm use and forest zones, and in industrial zones if processing also takes place at the site.

Jackson County Development Services Manager Kelly Madding said existing medical marijuana growers on rural residential land could apply for pre-existing, non-conforming use status, which could allow them to continue operating.

Anyone who has a use that becomes illegal under a new law can go through that process, she said.

The Oregon Legislature also passed a loophole that could allow small, pre-existing medical marijuana grows to continue on rural residential land in counties where that would become illegal.

Those medical marijuana growers will not have to seek a land-use compatibility statement from a county government in order to get an Oregon Liquor Control Commission license to sell into the recreational marijuana system, said Association of Oregon Counties Legal Counsel Rob Bovett.

If they had to apply, those growers would not be able to get such a statement because their operations would not comply with their counties' laws.

Bovett said the waiver of the land-use compatibility statement requirement does not mean the medical marijuana growers will be operating legally under their counties' laws.

"There is not a path forward to render them compliant," he said.

While it might seem counter-intuitive that state legislators gave growers a way to operate under the radar, Bovett noted that medical and recreational marijuana growers in Oregon are all operating illegally under federal law.

"It's a federal felony," he said.

Read the Rest http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160303/NEWS/160309847

 

[Sluicebox]

If anyone gets clarification on sb1598 in counties that have temporarily opted out please let us know.

 

[Sluicebox]

I was just reading where SB1598 was shutting down ops in Southern Oregon due to the fact that the crop has been specified farm crop or something like that. Protests are planned.

Also called my planning dept. and gave them my address. I am in EFU or exclusive farm use. I believe that will allow me to fire up the micro. Yet I'm trying to get clarification on what the County will do to me. It is qualified as medical I think and I was registered at this address prior to 1/1/15.

I can see this farm use only thing taking off across the State. I don't agree with it. It seems that they are once again eliminating the competition for those upcoming big shows.

I don't know who to call next other than the Sheriff and that's like the last person I want to talk to, let alone have to give my address to. Would be nice to know if He is going to spend County resources on small medical grows.

On the other hand I could be reading it all wrong. It seems to me that the State will give you a micro license if you meet certain qualifications regardless of what County you are in. They're just happy to get your money.

 

[Robrites]

Southern Oregon Cannabis Community Protesting Harmful Changes to Medical Marijuana

Southern Oregon Cannabis Community Protesting Harmful Changes to Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana growers in Southern Oregon have been doing a lot of organizing in recent months to curb the tide of new restrictions being imposed in the region on their gardens. Recently, the Jackson County Planning Commission made proposals that go too far, according to most growers. They make entering the lucrative marijuana market difficult and, more importantly, restrict growers to the point that they cannot effectively grow for the patients like they once did. Medical growers and their supporters have shown up in force to make their concerns known at county meetings and effectively explained the effects of the restrictions, which has made a difference so far, and helped roll back a few items.

But, as the local fight continues, lawmakers in Salem passed a number of bills during the recent short session that also restrict growers, and go against the intent of Measure 91. Most notably, SB 1598 passed and will, among many other things, provide that Oregon-grown cannabis be defined as an agricultural crop, which creates serious land use issues for many outdoor growers in Southern Oregon. If treated like a agricultural crop, Rural Residential (RR) zoning could be problematic because it prohibits commercial agricultural growing.

Sandy Diesel is one of the people leading the fight against these onerous rules and restrictions on growing, especially outdoor. A founder of the group Right To Grow – Southern Oregon, Diesel is pushing back against the changes and organizing growers to stand up against local and state politicians. She is planning a protest in front of the Medford Mail Tribune before a “Legislative Review” the newspaper is hosting on Thursday with a number of Salem legislators from noon to 1:30pm.

“It’s our last opportunity to tell our local legislators to call an emergency session to put a stop to the new OMMP rules, and SB 1598,” explained Diesel. “SB 1598 would shut down all farms on RR land in Jackson County, and many other counties may follow.”
http://marijuanapolitics.com/southe...testing-harmful-changes-to-medical-marijuana/

 

[Robrites]

Join Tommy Chong At The Oregon Marijuana Business Conference In April

Join Tommy Chong At The Oregon Marijuana Business Conference In April

The Oregon Marijuana Business Conference (formerly the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference) is coming back to Eugene, Oregon next month. I attended last year’s event in Eugene, and it was absolutely outstanding. The speakers were amazing, the vendors were great, and I made a lot of new friends. This upcoming Oregon Marijuana Business Conference (OMBC) is shaping up to be even more fantastic. I will be there, and I hope that you will be too. The OMBC takes place April 24th. It’s going to be a one day cannabis crash course that can’t be missed.

Yesterday the OMBC announced that Tommy Chong will be attending the conference and talking about his life and the future. I have stated many, many times on this blog that I’m an enormous Tommy Chong fan, and have been since I was a kid. I was a Chong fan well before I started consuming cannabis, which is something that I think a lot of people can’t say. I grew up watching Cheech and Chong movies and listening to their Wedding Album on vinyl. My uncle still rocks that record to this day!

Tommy Chong has seen a lot and done a lot in regards to cannabis, a lot of it occurring well before cannabis was fashionable. There is a lot that people can learn from him, from his days as one of the famed Cheech and Chong duo, to his arrest and incarceration as part of Operation Pipe Dreams, and into today with all of the activism and cannabis industry stuff that he has going on. I know that I personally can’t wait to hear what he has to say.

Right now the tickets to the OMBC are just $149, which is very affordable if you are serious about taking your game to the next level in the industry. Or if you just want to learn and meet some amazing people, the OMBC is a great place to do that. The event is taking place at the Eugene Hilton, and tickets can be purchased at this link here. You can add on a VIP pass to the Saturday night event as well for an additional fee. I plan on attending both the Saturday night event and the Sunday event. I absolutely LOVE that this event is taking place on the weekend.
theweedblog.com

 

[Robrites]

Oregon wants to make online marijuana regulation a chill experience

Oregon wants to make online marijuana regulation a chill experience

Oregon is trying to create an online marijuana license and registration system that is a little more IRS and a little less special forces, according to Nathan Rix, a policy analyst for Oregon’s Liquor Control Commission (OLCC).

A small population scattered over vast areas, often without Internet access, makes effective systems especially tricky. Read more.
State marijuana regulation: Is there a standard for the systems?

A more open monitoring system would give both the Justice Department and the states documentation on what’s working and what’s not. Read more.

“What we’re trying to do is create an atmosphere where you can come into our regulated system and it will feel much more like an IRS audit than a SWAT team because we want you in the regulated market,” Rix said. That is sometimes a tough sell, he said, when you have people who are used to avoiding rather than complying with the law.

The key to getting people into the regulated market, Rix said, is their first experience with filing an application to apply for a license to sell, grow, produce, process or lab test marijuana. The second experience involves the use of radio frequency ID (RFID) tags that track the product. And the third is with the OLCC staff when they look at a grower’s inventory, Rix said.

Oregon, the third state to legalize recreational marijuana, had the benefit of learning from Washington and Colorado before it teamed up with NIC for user-friendly application licensing and with Franwell for producer-friendly seed-to-sale tracking. Oregon, like states before it, turned to companies with backgrounds in industries that translated well into online marijuana processing and regulation.

NIC already processes all of Oregon’s other ecommerce work, enabling the state to “kill two birds with one stone,” in the IT compliance department, Rix explained. NIC’s system allows retailers to apply for new licenses or renew existing ones, pay fees by credit card and pay taxes on the marijuana they sell, according to OLCC officials.

Franwell, which developed Colorado’s marijuana tracking system, has been using its radio frequency ID technology (developed for perishable agriculture and airfreight cargo) to break into the marijuana plant tracking market. Still, as Franwell CEO Jeff Wells told GCN in an interview last year, tracking produce isn’t exactly the same as dealing with marijuana because the latter comes with such a high level of regulation.

“In all of our experience, and we’ve been working in supply chains for a few decades, I don’t know another system that exists where a regulatory body is assigning a serial number for each and every box of cucumbers, for example," Wells said. "But, then again . . . it's not federally illegal [to grow and ship] cucumbers.”

The RFID data trail uses tags that are assigned when the plant is just a sprout, Rix explained. “We’re going to require each licensee put an electronic tag on a marijuana product. We’ll start with a small plant. And then that tag will follow the plant all the way through the life cycle of that plant, so that when it goes to be harvested, we will follow that batch. And then when it is turned into an oil or edible product, they get a new tag and then they go with that new tag to the retail outlets.”

When it comes to monitoring compliance online, the OLCC has asked NIC and Franwell to create an interface that will provide real-time licensee data to inform investigations. “The benefit of that for the licensing system on the regulatory side [comes in] if we have any problems like a tag goes missing or we suspect a person is diverting products,” Rix said. “If we have a reason to suspend a license, we can do it all electronically without having to use a single piece of paper.”

It’s a system that also functions as a public health safety monitor. When a plant dies, the producer is required to enter in the reason. If large batches die it might be a more significant problem that the public needs to know about, according to Rix. “It’s not just for compliance and enforcement work. If we find there is an illness going around or problem with manufacturing we can do a product recall.”
https://gcn.com/articles/2016/03/10/oregon-marijuana-regulation.aspx

 

[Abja Roots]

Is there a way to find out which politician is controlled by who? Meaning can we see how much money special interest groups have contributed to certain politicians in this state? Thanks.

This will not reveal the full extent of who truly owns your local politicians, but it's a start.

https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/member-lookup.php

How many people are thinking of attending the OMBC in Eugene at the end of April? If there's enough people going, we should have a small get together.

There's a part of me that feels like the states are coming in and offering to be our Pimps. I have no issue with people making a living, but there is a sickness going around right now where all people see is money. Marijuana is the new cash cow to be taken out into a field and slaughtered so everyone at the top can get their piece. Too many growers are lining up to help them. I know that people don't want to miss out on licenses/stores/etc..., but never forget how many people are locked up because of this plant. Everything I see is focused on increasing and regulating the consumerism of Cannabis, but I haven't seen one proposed law supporting the preservation of all the various Cannabis cultivars or encouraging the creation of new ones. So it shows where their thoughts are at. I'm not against regulation or paying taxes, but before paying any taxes everyone who is locked up or on probation for a non-violent cannabis offense should be released immediately.

The fact that US Vets have to pay anything at all for medical licenses is ridiculous.

 

[HL45]

Those medical marijuana growers will not have to seek a land-use compatibility statement from a county government in order to get an Oregon Liquor Control Commission license to sell into the recreational marijuana system, said Association of Oregon Counties Legal Counsel Rob Bovett.

If they had to apply, those growers would not be able to get such a statement because their operations would not comply with their counties' laws.

Bovett said the waiver of the land-use compatibility statement requirement does not mean the medical marijuana growers will be operating legally under their counties' laws.

"There is not a path forward to render them compliant," he said.

While it might seem counter-intuitive that state legislators gave growers a way to operate under the radar, Bovett noted that medical and recreational marijuana growers in Oregon are all operating illegally under federal law.

"It's a federal felony," he said.

Read the Rest http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160303/NEWS/160309847

Just want to say that Rob Bovett it not on our side. I went to all but two of the meetings in Salem regarding the laws for dispensaries before recreational cannabis had even been voted in. All of his concerns were surrounding ways to punish dispensary owners if they break the law and trying to get dispensaries to register with the board of pharmacies. At one of the meetings I interrupted him while he was on his rant telling us that dispos needed to register with the board of PHARMACIES and said "cannabis is still schedule 1!" He glared at me and said " in Oregon its schedule 2" ....so to see his statememt above is rather unnerving. ...all he wants is to become a federal prosecutor. He was the number one DA in Lincoln County, he likes to put people behind bars. . FUCK HIM!


I just stumbled across this thread so I have some catching up to do. One thing that seemed outright contradictory was the residency requirements..... if you hAve money you can move here and start a rec bussiness even though you did not vote the law into place or sign to get the law into vote.....but if your family member is sick with cancer or epilepsy you can't move here to get relief and take care of them with medical cannabis....it's an obvious grab for money because let's face it oregon is the poorest state of the West coast.

Most of my friends think medical cannabis in oregon will be completely gone within a year or two...I hope they are wrong and personally I am ready to fight to get it back if it is removed. I have witnessed alot of growers acting like they lost all their rights before even trying to fight to save them and I constantly remind them that the OMMP didn't start without people breaking the law to get relief.


I might check out the bussiness conference as I live near Eugene.

 

[Sluicebox]

Abja Roots, I agree 100% with your views. No Vet should have to pay anything in my book.
Actually the truly sick shouldn't have to pay for registration either. Take it from of the "Out of State Money." A good chunk of the money made there will be leaving this State. They want to play in our State they can pay for the Medical Program. Medical Growers should be able to apply for help with their Electric Bill, taken from this cash cow fund. They say that Patients can reimburse growers, though most patients are completely stretched financially. They should have prioritized ways to improve the Med Program,
rather than work on destroying it.

I read an article on the Protests in Southern Oregon and a Politician stated he thought Rec would replace the Timber Industry and some of the Fishing Industry. How is that even possible if there will be no exports? Our only export from this will be money going back to Out of State Investors. Those in Salem are truly clueless.

 

[Sluicebox]

Sent an email to OLCC and asked about the micro canopy and opted out counties. Here is their reply. For what it's worth.

MARIJUANA OLCC * OLCC
2:51 PM (1 hour ago)

to me
Good afternoon,

The opt-out ordinances would still affect licenses for micro-canopies as well. The LUCS document would no longer needed for persons that meet the micro-canopy requirements, however opt-out ordinances are still in place

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

Anyone heard anything about why SB1511 hasn't been signed yet?
I want to see what happens to the market when the general public gets to buy dabs and edibles, seems like a fun way to stay amused for a couple months until everything shakes out.

 

[Robrites]

Driver arrested after investigators link marijuana use to fatal Marion County crash

Driver arrested after investigators link marijuana use to fatal Marion County crash

Deputies believe a 36-year-old Amity woman was high when she caused a deadly Friday afternoon crash in rural Marion County.

Jessica J. Macken was driving her two children when she missed a curve and slammed her SUV into two oncoming cars, according to a statement issued by the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

The driver of the first car, Phillip Rivera, 52, of Salem, was killed. The man driving the second car, Marion Pacheco, Jr., 24, of Silverton, suffered minor injuries.

The men worked together at Highland Laboratories, a company that makes natural supplement in Mt. Angel. They were five miles from work when the crash occurred near the the intersection of Nusom Road Northeast and Howell Prairie Road.

Emergency crews responded to the scene at 2:45 p.m.

Macken's 10-year-old and 13-year-old children were treated at Silverton Hospital for minor injuries.

The sheriff's office charged Macken with second-degree manslaughter, intoxicated driving, reckless driving, three counts of reckless endangerment and three counts of fourth-degree assault, according to a statement issued by the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

She is being held without bail at the Marion County Correctional Facility.

-- Molly Young
oregonlive.com

 

[Sluicebox]

Last straw I'm at wits end with one of my patients. What is the proper way to cancel that agreement (verbal only) and not jeopardize myself with OMMP? Do I hand him the small card/ 6 plants and send the big card back to OMMP? Will this ruin my chances of getting other patients for a year?

Last time I lost a patient plant counts were 3 and he filed some complaint about me not handing him full plants. They yanked my card for a year.

Better for this guy to go now as finding a new spot is only going to cost him $50. Next month it will be $200.

 

[StinKyFinGerS]

Sluice
Give back all the patients cards, write a letter to ommp stating he is no longer in your room because he was verbally abusive. Send that in immediately, then if the patient brings up plants, negotiate with him on that part (6 veg plants or an ounce or 2) don't bring it up unless the patient does. I do not grow for those I don't care for, then it becomes a job.

 

[Robrites]

Last straw I'm at wits end with one of my patients. What is the proper way to cancel that agreement (verbal only) and not jeopardize myself with OMMP? Do I hand him the small card/ 6 plants and send the big card back to OMMP? Will this ruin my chances of getting other patients for a year?

Last time I lost a patient plant counts were 3 and he filed some complaint about me not handing him full plants. They yanked my card for a year.

Better for this guy to go now as finding a new spot is only going to cost him $50. Next month it will be $200.

CHANGING OR UPDATING INFORMATION

Do I have to tell the OMMP if I change my mailing address, add or remove a caregiver, grower, or change my growsite address?


Yes. You are required to submit a Change Form (pdf) with the updated information within 30 days.

• Change forms should be submitted via mail. The OMMP does not accept changes of registry information over the telephone or by fax.
• Changes to your caregiver and/or grower require that the former caregiver and/or grower cards be returned to the OMMP within 7 days.
• Patients are required by law to notify the former caregiver and/or grower that they no longer have this designation.

​Do I need to have any legal concerns when I make changes to caregiver, grower or growsite information?


Yes. It is important for your registry file to be up to date so if law enforcement requests verification of information from the OMMP your current caregiver, grower, and growsite are all protected.

• To make sure individuals and the growsite are protected, and that previously protected individuals know their status has changed, submit a Change Form for caregiver, grower, and/or growsite changes immediately.
• The OMMP recommends that you obtain a new growsite registration card before moving plants to a new growsite and keep copies of all Change Request Forms.

 

[CannaBossFarms]

Most of my friends think medical cannabis in oregon will be completely gone within a year or two...I hope they are wrong and personally I am ready to fight to get it back if it is removed. I have witnessed alot of growers acting like they lost all their rights before even trying to fight to save them and I constantly remind them that the OMMP didn't start without people breaking the law to get relief.

Me and my buddies fear the same demise of the OMMP in exchange for big money.

I hope everyone realizes that people dieing of cancer and suffering from other diseases that there big money causes can't afford the current cannabis prices

Abja Roots, I agree 100% with your views. No Vet should have to pay anything in my book.
Actually the truly sick shouldn't have to pay for registration either. Take it from of the "Out of State Money." A good chunk of the money made there will be leaving this State. They want to play in our State they can pay for the Medical Program. Medical Growers should be able to apply for help with their Electric Bill, taken from this cash cow fund. They say that Patients can reimburse growers, though most patients are completely stretched financially. They should have prioritized ways to improve the Med Program,
rather than work on destroying it.

I couldn't agree more! That would be a great idea. I have 2 patients that truly need the help. Who gets to spend all the new licensing fees?

 

[Nobody'sNursery]

If cannabis is proven to be not harmful why does it need to be regulated at all?
Is there ANY good arguments for regulation that can beat this question?