The Effects of Marijuana Legalization Are Just Starting to Be Realized

Marijuana became legal in Oregon only recently, but its legacy in Oregon has deep roots.

Marijuana's long road to legalization culminated in Ballot Measure 91, passed by voters in 2014. Now anyone 21 and older can possess up to 8 ounces of marijuana and grow up to four plants. Most medical marijuana dispensaries in the county have also begun selling recreational marijuana.

In 1998, Oregon voters approved medical marijuana under the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act, opening the floodgates to pot production, particularly in Southern Oregon because of its long growing season.

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The recent news about a looming controversy regarding medical marijuana and an experimental epilepsy drug raises intriguing questions - but, in the long run, likely will be seen as a footnote on the road to more widespread legalization.

At issue in the recent case is an experimental drug, Epidiolex, which is made from cannabis plants grown in England. The drug is a nearly pure extract of cannabidiol, or CBD. It has little of the substance in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), that produces the traditional pot high. A researcher in Columbus, Ohio, says that Epidiolex has shown great promise in treating seizures, especially among children. And, the researcher notes, studies have suggested that children can be hurt by using the whole marijuana plant.

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Richard Nixon's war on drugs, announced in June 1971, had one purpose and one purpose only: to create a tool to harass, persecute and incarcerate the hippies and blacks who were protesting the Vietnam War, according to an article in the current Harper's magazine.

Nixon's closest adviser, John Ehrlichman, and the president concocted this hoax for purely political reasons! Two men lied and a million died.

Marijuana was at the heart of the war on drugs, and it was classified as a Schedule I drug, one that had no medical use and was highly addictive, both lies. The justification for the prohibition of marijuana has been destroyed; Obama should immediately declare the "war" over; our jails should be emptied of nonviolent drug offenders, and some reparations should be considered for the victims of Nixon's horrendous crime.

I am amazed that the Ehrlichman revelation was not on the front page of every newspaper in the world.

Louis Philippe Goldman

Ashland

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WHO LIKES POT NEWS? We like pot news! Come get some pot news before it gets cold...

DEA to Reschedule Cannabis... Maybe-Do you need another reason to love Elizabeth Warren? Okay, here's one. Because of a letter the Massachusetts senator wrote in July 2015 asking the government to "facilitate scientific research on the potential health benefits of marijuana"-which was signed by not one but two Oregon senators, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden-the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced they will decide by July if they plan to reschedule cannabis. The government has five different designated categories, or schedules, of drugs, and cannabis has always been listed as a Schedule I drug along with heroin and LSD, all of which are considered as having "no currently accepted medical use" and a "high potential for abuse." This current designation for weed has about as much credibility as a 1981 Afterschool Special called Timmy Shot Up Some Marijuana, Turned Gay, and Died.

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I would like to know why Medford Councilor Clay Bearnson is allowed to vote on all the decisions regarding the marijuana issues in the city. He has openly stated he is an active participant in the growing of marijuana and has applied for a license to sell medical marijuana. Why is this not a conflict of interest? He should recuse himself on all marijuana issues.

- - A. Williams, Medford

We've been asked about this issue quite a bit over the past year. Bearnson has repeatedly said he plans to open a medical marijuana dispensary in the city, and he said recently that he plans to open the dispensary in downtown Medford sometime in April. He has also said he's checked with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission and has been told that he can still vote on matters related to marijuana.

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Some Very, Very Stupid Ideas

I HAVE BRUISES on my face this week. (No, not from Fight Club, which I really shouldn't even be talking about.) These bruises are from slapping my forehead repeatedly as I read what's up in the world of weed. Much as I have trouble comprehending anyone voting for a micro-fingered, angry tangerine wigman, I cannot grasp the logic behind some of the proposals that are happening in Colorado.

In the Centennial State, a (surprise!) Republican state representative has proposed a ballot initiative and amendment to a bill that would limit potency of "marijuana and marijuana products" to 15 or 16 percent. As a frame of reference, a Colorado Department of Revenue study states that the average potency for flower is 17.1 percent THC, and 62.1 percent for extracts.

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The FDA's New Rules for CBD Are Confused-and Confusing

IT'S BEEN A HELL of a month in the canna world.

It started on March 15, when the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) shocked a room full of 500-plus cannabis-business owners at an Oregon Cannabis Association meeting. Suddenly, making and selling extracts was illegal. That seems to be all sorted out-see my colleague Vince Sliwoski's Ask a Pot Lawyer column.

But as soon as the dust settled on that, Facebook and other stellar sources of dependable and non-alarmist information began exploding with the news that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had "outlawed" cannabidiol (CBD).

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This past January marked the first month that the state of Oregon collected taxes on the sale of recreational marijuana, marking another milestone in the state's unfolding experiment with legalized pot.

But it was the amount collected in taxes in January that raised eyebrows in Salem and around the state: The Oregon Department of Revenue pegged the amount at $3.8 million.

Let's put that number into perspective: Obviously, no one knew for sure what sort of sales would result from the voter-mandated decision to make recreational use of marijuana legal, so state economists admitted that their estimates were little more than guesses. But they figured that Oregon would collect somewhere between $3 million and $4 million in tax revenue.

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EVEN REGULAR READERS of this column-all five of you-may not realize I have a "day job." I know this may come as a shock, as there are few careers more secure and lucrative as those in the newspaper industry. That's why there are hundreds of children each year who dream of growing up to be a weed columnist. (Please do not tell me it is otherwise.)

My day job also involves weed-surprise!-although I don't grow it or sell it. But what I do with it caught the attention of 1859, an Oregon-based magazine, as they were preparing their first feature on cannabis. They called me for an interview to talk about how legalization has impacted Oregon. We chatted, and I suggested some more folks who might help them with their article.

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The authors of Ballot Measure 91, which legalized the possession and use of recreational marijuana by Oregon adults, took care to leave the state's existing medical marijuana program alone. But the Legislature, in the course of trying to fashion a workable recreational industry, made changes that affected medical growers, especially in Jackson County.

County officials say their hands are tied by what lawmakers did regarding medical marijuana production on land zoned rural residential. But they need to do more to ease the impact on existing medical growers.

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Oregon officials said they've collected about $3.5 million in taxes from recreational marijuana sales in January. The 25 percent-tax on recreational pot sales began at the start of 2016 and the state began collecting the taxes from dispensaries last month. Data released Thursday show the $3.5 million collected came from 253 individual payments. That's fewer than the 309 medical dispensaries statewide that have elected to sell recreational pot. Some could be late with their payments. An Oregon Department of Revenue spokeswoman said they'll have a better idea of the situation after the dispensaries file their tax returns at the end of the quarter.

From Herald news services

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Ordinance Goes into Effect Immediately

After months of public meetings, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday adopted laws governing the growing, processing and selling of recreational and medical marijuana outside city limits.

The laws go into effect immediately.

Outdoor grows are not allowed within 250 feet of city limits.

Marijuana can be grown in exclusive farm use and forest zones.

New marijuana growing is allowed in industrial zones, as long as processing also takes place there. People who were already growing in industrial zones can continue to do so for three years, after which they have to become compliant with the new laws by adding processing or relocating.

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The Oregon Legislature Failed to Pass These Very Important Pot Laws

THE SPECIAL SESSION of the Oregon Legislature has ended-all 35 days of it-and they won't be meeting again until next year. Some bills about cannabis moved through the legislative process, made none the easier by Republicans being childish dicks and slowing down things by forcing Democrats to read aloud every bill. (Guess which party drinks, and which one smokes weed.)

What passed? I was prepared to write an entire column answering that question, but it turns out my cannabis columnist colleague Vince Sliwoski has already written a fine rundown, because great pot minds think alike. Check out his write-up in last week's Mercury ["Ask a Pot Lawyer," March 9].

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After reading the never-ending series of articles about marijuana's legalization and the impact on our county, my dad's words echo in my ears: "There is a reason they call it 'dope,' son. Because it turns you into one."

From people who burn their houses extracting THC, down to North Medford students who are oblivious to its harmful effects on their still-developing brains, it is clear that my very wise father was right.

Tracy Van Hee

Eagle Point

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OLCC Members Toured Pot Grows Thursday to Learn About Security Measures

Tall fences are sprouting all over the Rogue Valley as pot growers gear up for tough new security measures required by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission this year.

OLCC officials toured the area Thursday to learn what they might expect during inspections - and in the process they learned that the inspections themselves might help spread russet mites from crop to crop.

"A lot of people were hit hard last summer by mites," said Brent Kenyon, who owns The Wharf in Medford and has been an active member of the cannabis community. "Some lost a quarter-million dollars worth of crops last year."

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Medford's wall against pot dispensaries crumbled last year, and cannabis entrepreneurs have wasted no time getting licenses from the state to open medical marijuana stores.

"It's good to have quite a few stores in town," said Nina Crawford, a 21-year-old bud tender at the newly opened Kush Gardens at 1067 Court St.

Kush Gardens is the second legal store to open. Patients Helping Patients was the first legal dispensary in Medford, but the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program has issued five licenses for businesses within city limits. Medford is already surrounded by a half-dozen cannabis dispensaries. In Jackson County, 22 licenses have been issued to dispensaries, though not all are open for business.

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HIGH TIMES and their events are having a rough go of it lately. The all-things-weed publication had to withdraw from Washington and Oregon last year after failing to secure locations for their Cannabis Cup events. And amid complaints, their annual 4/20 party had to move to a new location in Colorado. You might be wondering: When will the long-running pot magazine be able to hold an event with thousands of revelers consuming cannabis openly in Oregon?

They did already, nearly 20 years ago. And I was there.

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Affordability, availability and more potent forms of marijuana are spurring alarming trends in pot use among teenagers, law enforcement and school officials say.

Not only are more youths being cited for minor in possession, but how they view and use the drug is shifting as marijuana becomes more socially acceptable - and legal.

"Pot's chill," says Kate, a 17-year-old North Medford High School student whose name has been changed to protect her anonymity. "It just chills you and opens your eyes. I don't see it as a bad thing."

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The bill, which clarifies several aspects of hemp cultivation in Oregon, now goes to Gov. Kate Brown

The Oregon Legislature has approved a bill to aid the state's fledgling hemp industry, including a local operation near Murphy.

The measure now goes to Gov. Kate Brown for her signature.

Among provisions in the bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass, is one that addresses a concern that male hemp plants might cross-pollinate and harm the potency of nearby female marijuana plants.

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PORTLAND, Ore. - The owner of the World Famous Cannabis Cafe announced she will close her doors next week after another warning by public health officials that the establishment violates indoor air rules.

The cafe will host its final Stoner Bingo session Sunday, said Madeline Martinez, a longtime marijuana legalization advocate and owner of the business, which offers people 21 and older a place to socialize and use cannabis.

She doesn't want to face fines for violating the law, she said.

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