Pubdate: Sat, 13 Aug 2016
Source: Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR)
Copyright: 2016 Associated Press
Contact:  http://www.mailtribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/642
Note: Only prints LTEs from within it's circulation area, 200 word count limit
Author: Andrew Selsky, Associated Press

Oregon Cannabis Growers' Fair

INAUGURAL CANNABIS FAIR BEING SET UP IN SALEM

Winning Pot-Plant Entries Will Be Displayed at the Oregon State Fair

SALEM (AP) - From seed providers to a company offering mechanized bud 
trimmers, those involved in the once-illicit marijuana industry in 
the Pacific Northwest got ready on Friday for the first-ever Oregon 
Cannabis Growers' Fair.

Reggae music thumped from Savant Plant Technologies' display as owner 
James Knox, 38, of Corvallis, set up his do-it-yourself grow package, 
including peat and microorganisms to stimulate plant growth, among 
more than 80 exhibitors registered for the two-day fair that starts Saturday.

Oregon is one of four states to have legalized marijuana, along with 
Washington, D.C.

"It's nice for us to be stepping across the line and say, 'here we 
are, and we're ready to do business,'" he said. "For those of us who 
have been doing this a long time, this is a breath of fresh air 
because we're able to work openly and in the light."

Winning entries of a pot-plant competition at the fair will be 
displayed in two weeks at the Oregon State Fair, the first time 
cannabis will be exhibited at a state fair anywhere in the United 
States, organizers said.

"It is an historic event. It's a great opportunity to meet these 
growers that typically were underground," said fair organizer Mary 
Lou Burton. "We're trying to get people connected up and networking."

Nine winners of the pot-plant competition will showcase their plants 
at the Oregon State Fair, along more traditional items like tomatoes, 
hogs and horses, in two weeks. They will be under display in a small 
greenhouse amid tight security, she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom