Pubdate: Wed, 25 May 2016
Source: Bulletin, The (Bend, OR)
Copyright: 2016 Western Communications Inc.
Contact:  http://www.bendbulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/62

POT RULES ARE A GOOD FIRST STEP

Deschutes County commissioners may take the first step toward approval
of the rules governing the growing, processing and sales of marijuana
in the unincorporated county today. The move would put them on track
to adopt county code changes in early June.

It's the right thing to do. Marijuana use, both recreational and
medical, is now legal in the state of Oregon and that should mean it's
also legal to produce the stuff. What's proposed, meanwhile, strikes a
reasonable balance between those who would ban all marijuana
production from the county and those who would like to be able to
grow, process or sell it anywhere they please.

Thus, under the new rules marijuana may be grown on parcels of 5 acres
or larger, with a correlation between parcel size and the size of the
marijuana operation. The same sort of scaling up applies to production
and processing facilities.

In addition, the county would impose 100-foot setbacks from lot lines
and 300-foot setbacks from dwellings not on the property where the
crop is located. And, the rules aim to keep odor, noise and lighting
problems to a minimum.

There are a variety of other changes that would be made to the county
code, as well.

The commission did not arrive at today's action in haste. After
considerable pushback from residents who did not want to see marijuana
production allowed in the county at all, it imposed a ban last year.
At the same time, it appointed a citizen group to look at the subject
and propose changes to the code.

The committee, which included both opponents and proponents of
marijuana production, came up with code changes that required both
sides to compromise. It will take time to see if the changes work as
intended, and commissioners must be willing to rework them if they do
not.

Deciding whether to do so or not will require time, however, something
that both proponents and opponents should keep in mind.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D