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

[geneva_sativa]

Hey thanks for that info PDX !

I remember it really stood out among what I had picked up, and with the numbers it was claimed to get, I was surprised I hadnt heard more about it later.

Didnt realize that one was also from Ringo. . . .guess its why hadnt heard more about it

 

[orechron]

How much additional law enforcement can 1.5 million fund?

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/lo...beleaguered-law-enforcement-agencies.html.csp

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

The bill passed last week, on the governor's desk for signing. Hemp seed is still regulated by ODA and will not be available as described above. One of the elements in the bill makes clear that home growers can grow hemp as part of their 4 plant allotment. In theory, a registered seed producer could get a hemp endorsement from OLCC and then sell directly to retailers, so there is a path for seed if someone wanted to pursue it. It's definitely not something we'll be doing.

Do you know your competitors' seed well enough to help us suss out which ones to try if they start selling 10 packs in weed stores? I'm really kind of itching to try out some high CBD hemp seed.

 

[Robrites]

Average Outdoor Deal Size Reaches 59 Pounds During Fall Harvest

Average Outdoor Deal Size Reaches 59 Pounds During Fall Harvest

The relative stability in the national supply mix over the course of 2017 is evident in the chart above, which displays national average deal sizes by grow type and month. Only a handful of dramatic fluctuations were observed, the most obvious being the spike in the average volume of transactions involving outdoor-grown product in October and November, the prime fall harvest months. The average size of trades for such flower documented in those months surpass any monthly average deal size for the same grow type recorded in 2016, and by a significant measure, again suggesting that outdoor crops were in many cases larger in 2017 than in the year prior.

 

[SoulAnnoyed]

To be fair to the weed store stuff, it has to go through a lot more handling before it gets to your bowl than the homegrown does. I saw more than once nice stuff mishandled to it's detriment by people who had nothing to do with the grow. Of course you're still correct about homegrown material being just as good if not better, everyone has access to the same info and materials for growing with and anyone who puts their head to it can grow good stuff if the put in the hours, I just wanted to point out that not all of the negative characteristics of weed store material are the responsibility of the producer.

Lame excuse. Hear it all the time. I treat my buds like shit. They dont suck? If the reasons dispo bud tastes like dryer sheets, fish guts and Sweet Citrus® is because of bad handling, I've got some OG growing in my driveway cracks that I'll let go cheap, due to bad handling.

 

[Robrites]

View Image

The relative stability in the national supply mix over the course of 2017 is evident in the chart above, which displays national average deal sizes by grow type and month. Only a handful of dramatic fluctuations were observed, the most obvious being the spike in the average volume of transactions involving outdoor-grown product in October and November, the prime fall harvest months. The average size of trades for such flower documented in those months surpass any monthly average deal size for the same grow type recorded in 2016, and by a significant measure, again suggesting that outdoor crops were in many cases larger in 2017 than in the year prior.

Lame excuse. Hear it all the time. I treat my buds like shit. They dont suck? If the reasons dispo bud tastes like dryer sheets, fish guts and Sweet Citrus® is because of bad handling, I've got some OG growing in my driveway cracks that I'll let go cheap, due to bad handling.

I'm thinkin' THIS Guy didn't get his 59lb's last year...

 

[OregonBorn]

That sounds like interesting news, thanks for filling me in. Seems like that might be bad for all the rec growers who are currently supplying the shops with high CBD material, but otherwise pretty positive.

I dunno who supplies rec shops with CBD any more. I went all around PDX looking for pure CBD hemp bud or pure CBD oil. NO ONE had any of that stuff. They all said that they used to have it. No longer after they flipped to rec from med. They all had 50/50 THC/CBD strains like Harlequin and AC/DC. One shop had some CBD oil that was insanely priced. It was hemp oil, but did not have any CBD listed in it. I gave up looking and ordered some through an outfit in Colorado. Pure CBD crystals. Tested at 99% pure CBD. It was like $20 shipped.

It looks like Oregon law has changed to making hemp an ag product. Seeds and all. As it should be. Dunno what the FEDs and Sessions will say about it. Its still Cannabis.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

Lame excuse. Hear it all the time. I treat my buds like shit. They dont suck? If the reasons dispo bud tastes like dryer sheets, fish guts and Sweet Citrus® is because of bad handling, I've got some OG growing in my driveway cracks that I'll let go cheap, due to bad handling.

Why do treat you buds like shit? Do you have some anger at female reproductive organs? Is it the red hairs you find off-putting? My mother was a redhead so they kind of bother me a little bit.

 

[OregonBorn]

I'm in the middle of judging a bunch of rec CBD bud samples for a weed contest and some of it is real A+ stuff, all-around excellent on all levels, ahuge leap forward from the days when Harle-tsu was queen of the CBD world and that wasn't all that long ago. So I kinda feel bad for those folks if they're all about to lose out to mass produced industrial products.

Those strains are all higher in THC than 0.3%. So they are classified as Marijuana, not hemp. They will still have to be sold in rec shops or med stores. Only pure CBD hemp will be allowed as hemp for sale as ag products in Oregon. Seed, oil, fiber, buds, CBD, etc. But not anything with THC. If as stated in some posts here that the ODA classifies hemp seed as restricted or needing a license to grow (I have no details on this, and when I asked, they said it was going to be worked out) then there will be a separate hemp growing process, and a Mj growing process. At the commercial level anyway.

 

[OregonBorn]

@OregonBorn: I was under the impression that an "industrial hemp" growers license was available already to apply for. In the 1400 dollar range, and only takes a few weeks to process. I understand that the recreational cannabis growers license costs something like 5400 dollars and takes months to process. Can you confirm this? With the hemp license I am told you can grow specific strains that are bred to have less than the legally-defined THC amount, yet are high in CBD content. Is this true? Thanks.

I called and asked, and the ODA said that they are ironing out the regulations for the new law regarding hemp growing and commercial product selling. They referred me to their web site for details. From the ODA web site:

https://www.oregon.gov/oda/programs/marketaccess/macertification/pages/hemp.aspx

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is now accepting applications for the 2018 annual registration to grow and handle industrial hemp. A registration is needed for growing or handling industrial hemp. An additional registration is needed for those wishing to produce or handle agricultural hemp seed.

• Grower registration fee: $1,300
• Handler registration fee: $1,300
• Agricultural hemp seed production registration fee:​​​​​​ $120
  • The agricultural hemp seed production registration must accompany either a grower or handler registration.

​Public hearing on proposed rules affecting industrial hemp regulations:


March 21, 2018 at 9:00 am
Oregon Department of Agriculture
635 Capitol St NE, Salem, OR 97301


FYI: Not all hemp is high in CBD. Some hemp strains are high in CBD (over 20% by final bud weight). All hemp has ~only~ CBD and less than 0.3% THC by federal law. I have been trying to find some high CBD hemp seeds lately in small numbers (about 20 or so). Hemp seeds are usually sold in large quantity though. Like by the ounce or pound, and most are low CBD strains grown for fiber and seed oil.

As for OLCC Mj Oregon grow licenses, the annual grow license fees vary by size. There are 4 grow tiers, and you can have a mix of indoor and outdoor square footage with any one license. Grow license fees include Metrc system fees, but not plant ID/inventory tags. The 4 tiers and annual fees are (SF is square feet):

$1,000 Micro tier 1: 625 SF indoor, 2500 SF outdoor
$2,000 Micro tier 2: 1250 SF indoor, 5000 SF outdoor
$3,750 Std. Tier 1: 5000 SF indoor, 10000 SF outdoor
$5,750 Std. Tier 2: 10000 SF indoor, 40000 SF outdoor

There is also a new OLCC medical canopy license fee of $500 which allows any of the above licensees to grow medical marijuana for registered OMMP cardholders at the same location as their grow license.
And there is also an OLCC hemp certificate for $500 (plus a $250 application fee) on the OLCC site which allows any of the above licensees to deliver industrial hemp products to an licensed OLCC marijuana processor that also has an OLCC hemp certificate, BUT NOT TO A LICENSED OLCC MARIJUANA RETAILER.

So the above may be the reason that you cannot buy hemp weed in any retail stores these days in Oregon. It seems that it is restricted.

For comparison, an acre is 43,560 SF. License application times generally are held up for other reasons like zoning, building permits required by counties, and inspections. You also have to have a security system, a perimeter wall or fence, a camera surveillance system, Metrc training, an armed security response system, a secure area for storing harvested weed that is being tested, approved bags and labels, approved vehicles for transport, a background check, proof of inventor capital, a marijuana handling card for all employees, OSHA approved facilities, Oregon state employee systems in place for payroll taxes, deductions, and insurance, etc etc etc etc.

As an aside, I got a letter from my auto insurance company about a month ago that my insurance does not cover vehicles used for transporting commercial marijuana in the state of Oregon. Go figure.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

I dunno who supplies rec shops with CBD any more. I went all around PDX looking for pure CBD hemp bud or pure CBD oil. NO ONE had any of that stuff. They all said that they used to have it. No longer after they flipped to rec from med. They all had 50/50 THC/CBD strains like Harlequin and AC/DC. One shop had some CBD oil that was insanely priced. It was hemp oil, but did not have any CBD listed in it. I gave up looking and ordered some through an outfit in Colorado. Pure CBD crystals. Tested at 99% pure CBD. It was like $20 shipped.

It looks like Oregon law has changed to making hemp an ag product. Seeds and all. As it should be. Dunno what the FEDs and Sessions will say about it. Its still Cannabis.

I found 99% CBD crystal from hemp for sale at headshops in Portland, the Mellow Mood across the street from the former Third Eye location had it for $36/g. Sounds like you're getting a better deal through the mail.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

…You also have to have a security system, a perimeter wall or fence, a camera surveillance system, Metrc training, an armed security response system, a secure area for storing harvested weed that is being tested, approved bags and labels, approved vehicles for transport, a background check, proof of inventor capital, a marijuana handling card for all employees, OSHA approved facilities, Oregon state employee systems in place for payroll taxes, deductions, and insurance, etc etc etc etc.

Thats an expensive sounding list

As an aside, I got a letter from my auto insurance company about a month ago that my insurance does not cover vehicles used for transporting commercial marijuana in the state of Oregon. Go figure.

I supposed they could be accused of violating federal banking/laundering regulations if they insure marijuana vehicles.

 

[OregonBorn]

Thats an expensive sounding list

It is an expensive process. There is a very long list of requirements to get a weed license of any kind in Oregon. I did not list them all here. I bet that after this ODA Hemp license process is implemented, the hemp licenses will not be cheap or easy to get either. We will see after the ODA gets through making all the rules.

I supposed they could be accused of violating federal banking/laundering regulations if they insure marijuana vehicles.

Insurance is separate from banking. They did not say why they will not insure vehicles used for Mj transfers. I do not know who offers insurance on Mj transfer vehicles either. I am with Progressive. They are one of the largest. Maybe you need commercial insurance? And likely at a higher rate. Another hidden cost to add to the long list for growers. I would bet that they do not want to expose themselves to any liable suits based on Mj transfers. Also the issue of being a high value target for potential theft and robbery. Its still a cash only business and weed thieves abound. I imagine property insurance would also increase substantially. I had not even considered that. Even with all the required security stuff.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

Yeah its too bad they make everything an expensive hassle, makes it completely unfun. Leave it to government to take all the fun out of recreational drugs. Here I am stoned off my ass being upset because none of that regulation is even necessary now that the Cole agreement has been revoked and the tremendous expense to state government for the enforcement may even be illegal under measure 91.
Thats not what I should be doing with my chinese eyes time, I should be laughing at psychedelic cartoons or something more appropriate to the situation than paying attention to dystopian buzzkill. Sad state of affairs indeed.

 

[OregonBorn]

Meh. I started growing weed in 1972. I am still growing weed today. As long as local and state law enforcement is not after growers of small numbers of plants, I do not really care what the FEDs threaten to do. I do not buy weed, so I am not filling the state coffers with weed tax money. Nor will I be impacted if Sessions raids weed shops and grow farms. I can grow more than I can smoke, so all the political sabre rattling is a non issue for me.

I preferred the good old days of black market weed in the 1970s/1980s. Then the legal medical weed scene was good too in CA and OR, but that has all ended with legal rec weed. Hopefully VA, TN and KY will legalize medical Mj, and maybe MO and even UT for extreme medical cases. Then the number of states that have legal medical or rec weed will rise to 34 from 29 and that is enough for a majority to pass a constitutional amendment lifting Cannabis prohibition.

 

[Robrites]

Josephine County Oregon Invites Federal Intervention on Marijuana Grows

Josephine County Oregon Invites Federal Intervention on Marijuana Grows

March 22, 2018 – The Commissioners of Josephine County Oregon, with advice from the county counsel Wally Hicks, have decided to make a desperate move to stop cannabis grows on Rural Residential lands in their county by appealing directly to the federal government to intervene. The move is part of a mufti-faceted and aggressive response to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) decision earlier this month.
The Commissioners announced their intention after a closed door meeting on Tuesday, March 20. Their plan is to appeal the LUBA decision, Adopt land use rules that mirror neighboring Jackson County and, most alarmingly, seek a federal declaratory judgment using the Controlled Substances Act. The Grants Pass Daily Courier reports:
“The most startling move is the commissioners’ intention to seek a “federal declaratory judgment” involving the federal Controlled Substances Act, although details about those arguments have not been made public. Possession of marijuana is deemed a federal crime.
County Legal Counsel Wally Hicks said details about the move in federal court will be forthcoming.
In addition, the county intends to appeal in state court a decision last week by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.”
This desperate move was brought about when the county was blocked by LUBA, putting a hold on any enforcement by the county regarding their new ordinance passed in late 2017. The county has argued that the cannabis farming is a nuisance, which is driven by complaints about grows in Rural Residential areas and black market diversion issues. Unfortunately for the county, LUBA decision found they did not follow the proper rules and procedures on the land use changes. KOBI reported:
“Back in December, a group of farmers, who called themselves F.A.R.M.S Inc, also known as ‘Farming and Agricultural Rights Management Society’ appealed the county commissioner’s ordinance, which at the time stated, marijuana in rural residential zones would be prohibited on a lot of five acres or less with the exception of 12 personal mature plants.
[March 14], LUBA granted the group’s motion stating the county failed to notify residents by mail, and did not comply with procedural requirements.”
The move to mirror the Jackson County ordinance would be less restrictive than the Josephine County ordinance. Jackson county’s actually allowed existing grows to remain on rural residential property. That was actually acceptable to the F.A.R.M.S Inc. contingent.
“I hope that’s what they do,” Ross Day, the attorney for the group told the daily Courier. “The (Jackson County) ordinance is actually not a bad ordinance. All it really does, it says you can’t grow on rural residential land.”

The Commissioners overreaction to try and involve the federal government sends a loud signal to cannabis hater Attorney General Jeff Sessions. With his recension of the Cole Memo and recent statements about enforcement, including the use of property seizure, their move could be reckless and even dangerous.
If the federal intervention occurs and farms are raided, they will all be medical marijuana grows, which will impact patients and access to their medicine. Would these raids be offered the protection of the Rorahbacher-Blumenhaur amendment, which prohibits the use of federal money to arrest or prosecute federal marijuana laws if the operations fall under a states medical marijuana laws? Could we see a return to the days of federal raids on medical grows in Oregon like we saw just a few years ago?
Lets hope not, and hope there can be some common sense coming from the reactionary, over-reaching and dangerous county leaders. Attacking the economic engine that has been driving one of the poorest counties in Oregon seems myopic and ignorant.


https://www.occnewspaper.com/joseph...ites-federal-intervention-on-marijuana-grows/

 

[frostqueen]

Attacking the economic engine that has been driving one of the poorest counties in Oregon seems myopic and ignorant.

You have no idea. I grew up in Josephine County. Full of pious righteous religious extremists and systemic idiocy. In Grants Pass the city council meetings start by everyone circling up for prayer. They are just dying to stamp out thee devill's weede. Ironically this area is the tip of the famous green triangle, where in the late '70s and early '80s much of today's best cannabis was originally bred and grown.

Meanwhile a few years back they couldn't even afford to have a police department for an area with about 30,000 people. Not the lord's brightest folks, to use their own terminology.

 

[Robrites]

On March 22, 2018, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission took the following rulemaking actions: INITIAL ACTION Harvest Notification (adopt 845-025-2090) Staff has identified harvest as an opportunity for diversion and is seeking to adopt a notification requirement for outdoor growers. This would require outdoor growers to notify the Commission of five harvest dates 72-hours before the first planned harvest date. This notification will allow enforcement staff ample opportunity to monitor harvests and ensure compliance with pertinent laws and rules.The Commission initiated rulemaking on the proposed adoption of 845-025-2090. Staff will hold an advisory committee, a public hearing and a subsequent comment period on this issue.

 

[OregonBorn]

On March 22, 2018, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission took the following rulemaking actions: INITIAL ACTION Harvest Notification (adopt 845-025-2090) Staff has identified harvest as an opportunity for diversion and is seeking to adopt a notification requirement for outdoor growers. This would require outdoor growers to notify the Commission of five harvest dates 72-hours before the first planned harvest date. This notification will allow enforcement staff ample opportunity to monitor harvests and ensure compliance with pertinent laws and rules.The Commission initiated rulemaking on the proposed adoption of 845-025-2090. Staff will hold an advisory committee, a public hearing and a subsequent comment period on this issue.

It is insane the amount of crap that the OLCC is requiring growers to do now.

 

[OregonBorn]

And meanwhile, Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell put forth a US Senate bill today making hemp legal in the US again. Of course Oregon will add 9,000 requirements to grow it here. Note also: In federal spending legislation enacted last week, Congress extended a policy that prevents the DOJ from interfering with state medical cannabis laws.


The head of the U.S. Senate announced on Monday that he will soon be filing a bill to legalize industrial hemp and allocate federal money for cultivation of the crop.

"We all are so optimistic that industrial hemp can become sometime in the future what tobacco was in Kentucky's past," U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said at a press conference alongside the state's agriculture commissioner.

"I will be introducing when I go back to senate a week from today," he said, legislation to "finally legalize hemp as an agricultural commodity and remove it from the list of controlled substances.

McConnell has already successfully attached language to broader legislation, such as the 2014 Farm Bill and annual spending packages, that shields state industrial hemp research programs from federal interference.

But confusion over what counts as research as well as issues related to the interstate transportation of hemp seeds has caused confusion as the DEA has in some cases sought to enforce federal laws that do not distinguish between hemp and marijuana.

A press release from McConnell's office said the new bill will not only reclassify hemp under federal law, but "will also give hemp researchers the chance to apply for competitive federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture – allowing them to continue their impressive work with the support of federal research dollars."

At the event, McConnell said that "some challenges remain today between the federal government and farmers and producers in Kentucky," arguing that his new bipartisan legislation would "remove the roadblocks altogether" by "recognizing in federal statute the difference between hemp and its illicit cousin."
He added that he would soon be discussing the issue with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an longtime vocal opponent of cannabis law reform who this year rescinded Obama-era guidance that has generally allowed state to implement their own marijuana legalization laws without federal interference.

In federal spending legislation enacted last week, Congress extended a policy that prevents the Justice Department from interfering with state medical cannabis laws. The bill also extends two provisions that protect state industrial hemp research programs.

Hemp can be used to make food, clothing and many other consumer goods. McConnell, in the Monday speech, spoke about "interesting and innovative products" that are "made with Kentucky-grown hemp," such as home insulation.
"That's just one of many uses Kentuckians are finding for this versatile crop," he said.

While hemp products are legal to sell in the U.S., its cultivation is banned outside of the limited exemption for state research programs, so manufacturers must in many cases import the raw materials from other countries that do no prohibit hemp farming.
McConnell was an original cosponsor of a standalone hemp bill during the 114th Congress, but it did not receive a hearing or a vote. Last year he signed onto a nonbinding resolution approved by the Senate in recognition of Hemp History week.

"Industrial hemp holds great potential to bolster the agricultural economy of the United States," the measure declared.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) will be an original cosponsor of the new bill to be introduced next month, along with a bipartisan group of other senators.