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151 US OR: PUB LTE: Unregulated Marijuana Market Is DangerousMon, 21 Dec 2015
Source:Blue Mountain Eagle (OR) Author:Harris, Eva Area:Oregon Lines:59 Added:12/21/2015

Writer states regulated marijuana market would be safer.

To the Editor:

I was quoted in the Dec. 16 issue of the Blue Mountain Eagle regarding the county ordinance to ban the commercial growing and selling of marijuana in the county. I am not in favor in any way that underage youngsters have access to marijuana. But the reality is that youngsters do have access, and it is easy for them to get it. But they are getting it from an unregulated market.

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152 US OR: Oregon Tribes Approve Plan To Grow And Sell PotSun, 20 Dec 2015
Source:New York Times (NY)          Area:Oregon Lines:51 Added:12/20/2015

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have approved a plan to build a facility to grow marijuana on their reservation in central Oregon and to sell it at tribe-owned stores outside the reservation.

The tribes are among the first in the country to enter the marijuana-growing business, a year after a Department of Justice policy indicated tribes could grow and sell marijuana under the same guidelines as states that opt to legalize.

Tribal officials said more than 80 percent of tribal voters favored the proposal in the referendum, which was held Thursday.

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153 US OR: Oregon Warm Springs Tribe Approves Pot Sales ProjectSat, 19 Dec 2015
Source:Register-Guard, The (OR) Author:Wozniacka, Gosia Area:Oregon Lines:109 Added:12/20/2015

PORTLAND - Members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have approved a plan to build a facility to grow marijuana on their reservation in Central Oregon and sell it at tribe-owned stores outside the reservation.

The vote comes a year after a U.S. Department of Justice policy indicated tribes could grow and sell pot under the same guidelines as states that opt to legalize. The tribe is one of the first in the country to enter the pot business.

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154US OR: Warm Springs Tribes Approve Marijuana Sales in HistoricSat, 19 Dec 2015
Source:Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) Author:Crombie, Noelle Area:Oregon Lines:Excerpt Added:12/20/2015

Members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs said yes to growing, processing and selling marijuana on the recreational market in a historic vote Thursday that drew record turnout, tribal officials said.

The referendum passed with 86 percent approval, said Don Sampson, CEO of Warm Springs Ventures, the tribes' economic development corporation, the group behind the proposal.

Sampson said Friday that the election drew about 1,400 voters who "turned out even in a winter storm." Voter turnout among younger tribal members was especially strong.

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155 US OR: Column: The Cannabis Holiday Gift GuideThu, 17 Dec 2015
Source:Portland Mercury (OR) Author:Jardine, Josh Area:Oregon Lines:103 Added:12/17/2015

CANNA CLAUS, Marijuanakkah, Chronicwanzaa-however you choose to observe, it's the holidaze!

Right now! And you need to buy gifts! Lots of them, and hurry!

No-more than that, ya cheapskate! And look, the good ones are nearly gone! Wait! Can't you get that for $10 less by buying it online?

But oh no! What about supporting local businesses?! Don't you care about small business owners, you selfish dick? And don't forget, this will show people exactly how many dollars' worth you love them, so don't fuck it up.

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156 US OR: Pot Growers Would Have To Adhere To Water LawsFri, 11 Dec 2015
Source:Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR) Author:Aldous, Vickie Area:Oregon Lines:98 Added:12/11/2015

Planning Commissioners Will Debate Proposed Regulations After Two Days of Testimony

Marijuana growers would have to own a water right for large operations, establish buffers between neighbors, install odor filtration systems on buildings and refrain from camping out next to grows to guard their crops under proposed regulations before the Jackson County Planning Commission.

The commission heard testimony today and Dec. 3 and will debate the proposed rules at 9 a.m. Monday in the Jackson County Courthouse Auditorium, 10 S. Oakdale Ave., Medford. Their recommendations will then go before the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

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157 US OR: Column: Puff, Puff, Publish: Cannabis In The NewsThu, 10 Dec 2015
Source:Portland Mercury (OR) Author:Jardine, Josh Area:Oregon Lines:92 Added:12/10/2015

This column increased in size by 50 percent a few weeks ago, and yet there is still barely enough space for all the canna-news. Light one up and let's jump right in.

PUFF, PUFF, PUBLISH-Portland made national news this week when our branch of the USPS put out a memo to area newspaper publishers. In it, they reminded our modern-day William Randolph Hearsts that it is still illegal "to place an ad in any publication with the purpose of seeking or offering illegally to receive, buy, or distribute a Schedule I controlled substance." It went on to say, "If an advertisement advocates the purchase of clinical marijuana through a Medical Marijuana Dispensary, it does not comply" with federal law.

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158 US OR: Editorial: Jackson County Pot Rules Will Help Keep theWed, 09 Dec 2015
Source:Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR)          Area:Oregon Lines:66 Added:12/09/2015

We don't see a lot to take issue with in Jackson County's proposed rules for growing and processing marijuana. There are no doubt a few tweaks that could be made, but in general it appears the rules would allow ample growing while providing some protection for neighbors.

The proposal would establish mandatory buffers between neighbors and the crops - which are notoriously malodorous near harvest time - and require growers to have legal water rights. It also establishes the size and type of structures that may be built for processing, as well as regulations on nighttime lighting and odor filtration systems for indoor operations. And it sets up no-grow zones near schools, parks and a few other sites.

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159 US OR: LTE: Monitor Marijuana Water UseSun, 06 Dec 2015
Source:Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR) Author:Bradburn, Margaret Area:Oregon Lines:37 Added:12/07/2015

The Rogue Valley is in a severe drought, and I feel local government officials should monitor all water usage. One particular concern is over water used to grow marijuana.

According to the Mail Tribune, there are 6,070 licensed marijuana growers in Jackson County. I believe each plant uses about one gallon of water daily. Add this up and the outlook for sustainable water is grim.

When water tables go down, wells dry up or may get contaminated with large levels of chemicals such as arsenic. Eventually, low levels may lead to rationing of household water. This will affect all citizens.

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160 US OR: Column: Hemp, Hemp, HoorayThu, 03 Dec 2015
Source:Portland Mercury (OR) Author:Jardine, Josh Area:Oregon Lines:90 Added:12/03/2015

BY NOW, you know that cannabis is awesome for medical and recreational applications. But what about hemp?

Hemp is a type of cannabis sativa plant with low THC content and a skinny, tall-growing profile. At the risk of sounding like a ponytailed guy named Paul after one too many bong hits, I'd like to point out that hemp is also pretty awesome, and can be used to make a wide range of products-and not just drawstring tie-dye hemp pants, bracelets, and ponytail scrunchies, either.

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161 US OR: OPED: Attacks Cause Councilor To Reconsider ServiceSun, 29 Nov 2015
Source:Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR) Author:Corcoran, Chris Area:Oregon Lines:70 Added:11/29/2015

"Kiss my a--!" That was the phrase directed towards me at a City Council meeting on Nov. 20 by a pro-marijuana grow supporter. Normally I would try to be like a duck and just let the water run off my back. But that sentiment and those expressed by the majority of pro-grow supporters has left me searching for answers.

I had always lived by the motto that I could be part of the problem and sit on the sidelines or I could attempt to be a part of the solution by being a part of the process. I thought that I knew what I was getting into when I first ran for election nearly seven years ago. Never did I think I would have the aforementioned phrase thrown at me as a volunteer, unpaid city councilor.

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162 US OR: Column: Green FridaySat, 26 Nov 2015
Source:Portland Mercury (OR) Author:Jardine, Josh Area:Oregon Lines:93 Added:11/26/2015

I ONCE WROTE a column about how cannabis growers shifted their operations indoors during the eight-year tenure of a senile president who acted in movies with a chimpanzee ["Indica Nation," Cannabuzz, Oct 8, 2014]. Ronald Reagan's fervent, jelly bean-fueled belief that people would stop enjoying cannabis simply because someone said "no" was paired with a full-scale assault on cannabis producers. People who had grown outside for years suddenly found helicopters manned by officers of the peace wielding semi-automatic weapons circling their properties. That served as incentive enough for outdoor growers to trade in their greenhouses for grow lights, HVAC systems, and high power bills.

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163 US OR: PUB LTE: Ignorance And BigotryMon, 23 Nov 2015
Source:Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR) Author:Tourzan, David Area:Oregon Lines:39 Added:11/24/2015

I was shocked to read Medford councilor Daniel Bunn referring to medical marijuana users as drug users and that "People are afraid of these people, and they should be."

My 73-year-old father uses marijuana-infused tincture to treat his tremors, and can now pour my mom tea without fear of scalding her. My uncle uses a different tincture to keep him alive during his chemotherapy treatment for cancer. My little niece in California uses another form to stop her daily seizures that were literally killing her. They are not drug users to be feared.

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164 US OR: Column: Bad Dispensaries Do ExistThu, 19 Nov 2015
Source:Portland Mercury (OR) Author:Jardine, Josh Area:Oregon Lines:95 Added:11/20/2015

NOW THAT ADULT-USE SALES are going strong, many of you will venture into a cannabis dispensary for the first time. Good for you! We are lucky to have a ton of well-run shops filled with fantastic flowers and knowledgeable staff. It's pretty dope. (See what I did there?) But there are varying levels of quality in all things, and that holds true for dispensaries and the people who staff them, too. So do your research before you go, or risk ending up with an experience like this-a composite of experiences I've had at several cannabis establishments:

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165 US OR: Column: The OLCC's Regulations Could Have Been Worse.Thu, 12 Nov 2015
Source:Portland Mercury (OR) Author:Jardine, Josh Area:Oregon Lines:65 Added:11/12/2015

THOSE SEEKING to participate in Oregon's recreational (AKA adult-use) cannabis industry are feverishly preparing license applications for January 4, 2016. Meanwhile, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) on October 22 released rules for those who wish to grow, process, and sell adult-use cannabis in 2016: 78 pages of government-crafted regulations, covering a wide range of details, and-surprise-very few people are happy. (Note: Barring a late start by Phish, I've never seen so many weed smokers so grumpy. Can't any of the world-class growers in this state create an "OLCC Kush" to deal with the effects of working with this agency?)

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166 US OR: Column: Hoping To Work In The Weed Industry?Thu, 05 Nov 2015
Source:Portland Mercury (OR) Author:Jardine, Josh Area:Oregon Lines:68 Added:11/06/2015

Don't Quit Your Day Job Just Yet

AN INTERESTING THING about living in a state with legal pot is the frequency with which I'm asked if I know of any job openings. So do I? Yes and no.

We're only a few months along on the rollout of Oregon's adult-use (AKA recreational pot) laws. We won't have recreational dispensaries until (best guess) sometime in the third or fourth quarter of 2016. That's when anyone 21 and older can buy concentrates, edibles, topicals, vape pens, pain patches, sodas, and tinctures. As of now, you're still limited to a quarter-ounce of flowers, seeds, and clones.

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167 US OR: Indoor Pot Grows Straining Grid, Oregon Utility SaysFri, 06 Nov 2015
Source:Seattle Times (WA)          Area:Oregon Lines:44 Added:11/06/2015

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Indoor growing operations for legal marijuana businesses are causing problems for Oregon's electrical grid, according to officials from an electrical-utility company.

Pacific Power said Wednesday that grow operations have taken grids above capacity, blowing out seven transformers since July and causing outages and equipment damage, reported The Statesman Journal.

The problems are a remnant of pot's black-market past, when substandard electrical work powered the lights at growing sites.

Portland General Electric has had similar problems, according to spokesman Steve Corson. He said anecdotal reports from PGE crews show about 10 percent of their transformer blowouts are from growing operations, with about 400 blowouts each year.

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168 US OR: Oregon Adopts Rules For Retail MarijuanaFri, 23 Oct 2015
Source:Albany Democrat-Herald (OR) Author:Cooper, Jonathan J. Area:Oregon Lines:78 Added:10/23/2015

MILWAUKIE (AP) - Marijuana stores will be prohibited from selling both recreational and medical marijuana and pot cannot be used on site under preliminary regulations approved Thursday by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

The more than 70 pages of rules will govern Oregon's retail marijuana system once it's fully operational next year. While marijuana stores began selling to adults 21 and older earlier this month, they are operating under temporary authority from the medical marijuana program. By 2017, companies producing or selling marijuana to the general population will have to abide by the OLCC's regulations for health, safety and security.

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169US OR: Blumenauer Addresses Congress On Oregon PotThu, 22 Oct 2015
Source:Statesman Journal (Salem, OR) Author:Friedman, Gordon Area:Oregon Lines:Excerpt Added:10/23/2015

Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer addressed the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday about the legalization of marijuana in Oregon.

Blumenauer spoke in support of Oregon's marijuana businesses. He criticized the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration for "harassing" medical marijuana facilities.

"It's the latest example of how far out of touch the federal government's agencies are with the reality on the ground with the will of the majority of the American people who think that marijuana should be legal, and with the policies of the president himself," he said.

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170 US OR: Editorial: Let Voters Make The Call On Pot BanThu, 15 Oct 2015
Source:Albany Democrat-Herald (OR)          Area:Oregon Lines:77 Added:10/19/2015

So, maybe the Albany City Council didn't intend to talk about marijuana at its meeting Wednesday night after all.

That's OK. But it's becoming clear how the council should talk about marijuana when it finally returns to the issue in a work session scheduled for Nov. 2.

You might have followed some of the council's gyrations on the issue, which date back to the good old days, when all we were worried about was the location of the dispensaries allowed by state law to serve medical marijuana patients.

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171 US OR: Hemp for Medicine: Oregon FaltersSun, 18 Oct 2015
Source:Bulletin, The (Bend, OR) Author:Anderson, Taylor W. Area:Oregon Lines:378 Added:10/19/2015

ALFALFA - Michael Hughes could grow pot in his Bend backyard if he wanted to.

As long as they were out of view, he could grow the plants, cut and dry the flowers, smoke them and get high. But he can't grow hemp there. He bought a license to grow hemp, but a variety of factors has made it more difficult to grow hemp than marijuana and other crops in Oregon.

Hemp, a cannabis plant with virtually no psychoactive ingredients that traditionally was grown for its strong fibers and edible seeds and oils, has been legal in Oregon for six years.

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172 US OR: Column: The Day Of Expungement Is Upon UsThu, 15 Oct 2015
Source:Portland Mercury (OR) Author:Jardine, Josh Area:Oregon Lines:64 Added:10/15/2015

LAST WEEK, there was some surprising but welcome news: 6,000 non-violent "drug offenders" will be released from federal prison starting October 30. (Of those, one-third are not US citizens; their deportation hearings will begin immediately.) And that's just a drop in the prison mop bucket, as more than 2.3 million people are currently incarcerated in the US. An additional 40,000 prisoners could be eligible for release over the next five years.

I could write 10,000 words on how our drug sentencing system is wrong, racist, and a national disgrace. And, yes, that would be both a ton of fun to read and assuredly change things for the better-because I'm certain that officials from the US Justice Department read this column faithfully.

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173US OR: Column: Oregon Legalizes Pot And Nobody BlinksMon, 12 Oct 2015
Source:USA Today (US) Author:Hughes, Trevor Area:Oregon Lines:Excerpt Added:10/12/2015

States With Legal Marijuana Sales Have Seen Voters Make That Decision. .. and It's Certainly Starting to Feel Like Really Not That Big of a Deal.

PORTLAND, ORE. - What if we legalized marijuana and no one really cared?

That's the overwhelming feeling I get standing inside Zion Cannabis in downtown Portland as customers buy marijuana from the friendly staff five days after legalized marijuana legislation went into effect Oct. 1. No muss, no fuss. Oregon is the third American state to legalize recreational marijuana sales, following neighboring Washington, where legal pot debuted in the summer of 2014, and Colorado, where cannabis has been legal since Jan. 1, 2014. Hardly anyone is paying attention.

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174 US OR: Editorial: Pot Dispensaries Facing Business SqueezeMon, 12 Oct 2015
Source:Albany Democrat-Herald (OR)          Area:Oregon Lines:70 Added:10/12/2015

The next development in Oregon's fascinating journey to legalized recreational marijuana likely will be dictated by the cold hard laws of business: The dispensaries which were set up to allow easier access to medical marijuana increasingly are under economic pressure.

By the time the Oregon Liquor Control Commission steps in to regulate recreational marijuana sales at the start of 2016, many dispensaries around the state may well be shuttered or in the midst of hard times. And the market for medical marijuana may well eventually be largely absorbed by the recreational market.

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175 US OR: OHA Has Limited Data On Medical Pot GrowsMon, 12 Oct 2015
Source:Daily Astorian, The (OR) Author:Borrud, Hillary Area:Oregon Lines:134 Added:10/12/2015

The Oregon Health Authority, which manages the state's medical pot program, probably does not have data on numbers of plants at grow sites at the end of 2014. This surprised lawmakers, who passed a bill earlier this year allowing those grow sites to be grandfathered in with more plants than otherwise allowed.

SALEM - Oregon public health officials are running into difficulty implementing a law that legislators passed earlier this year to gain control over the largely unregulated medical marijuana supply chain and prevent drug traffickers from diverting pot into the black market in other states.

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176 US OR: LTE: Keep Marijuana Sales Away From ChiloquinSat, 10 Oct 2015
Source:Herald and News (Klamath Falls, OR) Author:Twamley, Richard Area:Oregon Lines:53 Added:10/11/2015

The City of Chiloquin hosted two marijuana workshops. Neither work shop was opened to public comment.

The city has not recently conducted public hearings or taken public input. The question is how the Mayor or City Council can determine if city residents actually want marijuana sold in the city if the council refuses to listen to the pulse of the city? Klamath County and city of Klamath Falls rejected marijuana medical dispensaries or recreational pot use; this means that Chiloquin would be the "mecca" for pot consumption in Central Southern Oregon.

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177 US OR: PUB LTE: Why Try To Ruin A Legal Business?Sun, 11 Oct 2015
Source:Herald and News (Klamath Falls, OR) Author:Ferroggiaro, Melissa Area:Oregon Lines:49 Added:10/11/2015

I guess I will never understand the county commissioners decision to ban Klamath County from the legal cannabis industry.

I will never accept or forgive them for trying to single-handedly ruin and bankrupt my family.

For banning my store after we had been approved by the state and had been granted a license.

Why would any business want to suffer so hard trying to stay here?

Why would you want to take honest, hard-working citizens, who right now have legal protection given by the state, and knowingly turn them into criminals?

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178US OR: OPED: Recreational Pot Is a Job-Creation OpportunitySat, 10 Oct 2015
Source:Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) Author:Lininger, Ann Area:Oregon Lines:Excerpt Added:10/10/2015

When recreational sales of marijuana began this month, I was thinking about my dad. He's a major reason I became a state lawmaker and have been helping implement Oregon's new marijuana law.

During the 1980s recession, Oregon's natural resources sector tanked. My dad stopped taking a salary at our family's rock crushing business to help keep the company afloat. Mom warned that if the business closed, we might have to leave the Rogue Valley, where our family has lived for generations. As kids, my cousins and I rode down Main Street in Ashland's Fourth of July parade, perched on the edge of a truck from M.C. Lininger and Sons, tossing out packets of candy that looked like gravel. Our business was a source of income and pride for the whole family.

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179 US OR: LTE: Facts Are Out There About PotFri, 09 Oct 2015
Source:Albany Democrat-Herald (OR) Author:Crompton, Larry Area:Oregon Lines:44 Added:10/09/2015

Just read about NASA learning of running water on Mars. After reading the two letters (Mailbag, Sept. 29) by Keta Tom and John Collet about how good pot is for you, I realize who told them. Just one more name of an illegal alien and Trump's outer space wall will be a fact.

Just think, smoke pot and no more domestic violence. Get our judges to believe that and Linn County could shut down jail beds. Just sentence violators to smoke three dubies a day and no more problems. Murderers, five dubies a day and we are all safe. And then we also learned that soft drinks, alcohol, cigarettes and legal drugs kill more people than pot ever will. We spend billions of dollars to get rid of cigarette smoking and we have people who know nothing about the dangers of marijuana.

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180US OR: Estimate: Initial Pot Sales StrongFri, 09 Oct 2015
Source:Statesman Journal (Salem, OR) Author:Friedman, Gordon Area:Oregon Lines:Excerpt Added:10/09/2015

Oregon's budding recreational marijuana industry estimated strong sales during the state's first week of legal retail sales.

In the first five days, it's estimated Oregon cannabis retailers sold more than $11 million of marijuana, according to Casey Houlihan, executive director of the Oregon Retailers of Cannabis Association.

Houlihan said the first day alone pulled in $3.5 million in sales.

Oregon sales easily outpaced the first week of sales in Colorado and Washington. Colorado's first week of sales reached $5 million. In Washinton state, sales during the first month hit $2 million.

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181 US OR: Oregon Pot Stores Sell More Than $11 Million in First 5Fri, 09 Oct 2015
Source:Register-Guard, The (OR)          Area:Oregon Lines:27 Added:10/09/2015

SALEM (AP) - The Oregon Retailers of Cannabis Association estimates that marijuana stores sold more than $11 million of marijuana during the state's first week of legal recreational sales.

Oregon sales outpaced the first week of recreational sales in Colorado and Washington, the Statesman Journal of Salem reports. Colorado's first week of sales reached $5 million. In Washington state, sales during the first month hit $2 million.

Retailers of Cannabis Association Executive Director Casey Houlihan says the first day of sales in Oregon brought in $3.5 million.

Marijuana stores opened their doors to recreational users on Oct. 1.

[end]

182 US OR: Studies by Oregon Researchers Hint That MildFri, 09 Oct 2015
Source:Register-Guard, The (OR) Author:Dietz, Diane Area:Oregon Lines:96 Added:10/09/2015

STUDIES BY OREGON RESEARCHERS HINT THAT MILD POT-INDUCED PARANOIA MAY HAVE A PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFIT

College students abandon condom use when binge drinking - but not when they're stoned - a study by an Oregon State University researcher found.

In addition, in the year after 14 states legalized medical marijuana, traffic fatalities fell by roughly 10 percent, a study by a University of Oregon researcher found.

The findings give clues about how life in Oregon may - or may not - change in the wake of recreational marijuana sales becoming legal on Oct. 1.

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183 US OR: Column: Pot News From Around The CountryThu, 08 Oct 2015
Source:Portland Mercury (OR) Author:Jardine, Josh Area:Oregon Lines:67 Added:10/08/2015

Got your legal cannabis now? Good. Roll one up or fire up the vaporizer as we look at what's going on outside our state.

SOUTH DAKOTA is opening a canna resort-and while I have been vaping, that's not a typo. That liberal bastion of progressive activism, South Dakota, has plans to open the nation's first resort for cannabis consumption. The Santee Sioux tribe, all 400 of them, have had success operating a hotel and casino, along with a 240-head bison ranch, according to the AP. Now they plan to open what they're calling an "adult playground," where the tribe will grow and sell more than 30 strains of cannabis in a complex that will include a smoking lounge, nightclub, restaurant, and, eventually, slot machines and an outdoor music venue. Based on 5,000 acres of tribal land located 45 miles north of Sioux Falls, the Santee Sioux will have their first joints available December 31 at a New Year's Eve event.

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184US OR: Editorial: Underage Pot Use Needs Containment As theWed, 07 Oct 2015
Source:Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)          Area:Oregon Lines:Excerpt Added:10/07/2015

No sooner than 21-and-over Oregonians showed a joyous and happily unremarkable debut of the legal sale of recreational pot last week than a report was issued Tuesday showing 1 in 3 Multnomah County residents aged 18 to 25 used the drug in the past month - higher than the rest of the state and the nation.

It would be wrong to infer that Multnomah County's young adults are pot heads. But the numbers are significant in that a portion of the so-called young people represented in government health surveys were under the age of 21 and engaged in illegal consumption of pot at rates above state and national levels. But that's just the legal end of it.

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185US OR: Oregon Cannabis Workers UnionizeTue, 06 Oct 2015
Source:Statesman Journal (Salem, OR) Author:Friedman, Gordon Area:Oregon Lines:Excerpt Added:10/07/2015

At least two collective bargaining contracts between Oregon cannabis workers and the dispensaries that employ them have been signed, and more are expected to partake in collective bargaining as the industry develops.

The move to unionize by some cannabis workers strengthens the role unions have historically held in negotiating workplace conditions for their members, as labor unions enter a brand new market.

And the trend is expected to grow: As many as 50 Oregon cannabis businesses have expressed interest in unionizing to the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555. The union represents more than 20,000 retail and manufacturing workers in Oregon and Washington.

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186 US OR: Editorial: Federal Stance on Pot Increasingly SeemsMon, 05 Oct 2015
Source:Albany Democrat-Herald (OR)          Area:Oregon Lines:72 Added:10/05/2015

The private recreational use of marijuana by adults in Oregon has been legal for months, and last week, you could start buying recreational marijuana at medical dispensaries that elected to join in on early sales of pot. (Well, at least in those jurisdictions that allowed those early sales.)

But Oregon's grand experiment with legalized marijuana won't have any effect on the state's colleges and universities, including Oregon State University.

College administrators last week emphasized that nothing has changed on campuses, even as people lined up at dispensaries to buy recreational marijuana.

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187 US OR: Editorial: U.S. Stance On Pot, Hemp Seems SillyMon, 05 Oct 2015
Source:Corvallis Gazette-Times (OR)          Area:Oregon Lines:75 Added:10/05/2015

The private recreational use of marijuana by adults in Oregon has been legal for months, and last week, you could start buying recreational marijuana at medical dispensaries that elected to join in on early sales of pot.

But Oregon's grand experiment with legalized marijuana won't have any effect on the state's colleges and universities, including Oregon State University.

College administrators last week emphasized that nothing has changed on campuses, even as people lined up at dispensaries to buy recreational marijuana.

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188 US OR: Marijuana Sale Frenzy Over The WeekendMon, 05 Oct 2015
Source:Bulletin, The (Bend, OR) Author:Shorack, Ted Area:Oregon Lines:78 Added:10/05/2015

Bend Dispensaries Stock Up and See Thousands of Customers

Medical marijuana dispensaries remained busy throughout the weekend after opening their doors for recreational sales Thursday.

Many of the dispensaries opened at the stroke of midnight Thursday and were greeted with long lines. Those lines continued the following three days, and thousands of customers found their way to a dispensary. Bend has the most dispensaries in Central Oregon, with 16 locations.

"It was amazing," Ben Hebert, owner of Dr. Jolly's on SE Third Street, said Sunday. "We were totally busy all the time. I think we had a lot of happy people coming out of here."

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189 US OR: Editorial: Employers Take Hard Line On PotThu, 01 Oct 2015
Source:Albany Democrat-Herald (OR)          Area:Oregon Lines:73 Added:10/04/2015

Today, Oregon's experiment with legalizing recreational marijuana marks another milestone a green-letter day, if you will: Today is the first day that people over 21 can buy recreational marijuana.

Well, not in Albany, or in Linn County, where governmental entities have opted against allowing the early sales of recreational pot by medical marijuana dispensaries.

But the curious should be able to travel across the Willamette River to a dispensary in Corvallis that will be more than willing to sell them recreational pot. (Don't light up until you get back home, though.)

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190 US OR: PUB LTE: Marijuana Is Here, Despite County BansSat, 03 Oct 2015
Source:East Oregonian (Pendleton, OR) Author:Delaney, Patrick J. Area:Oregon Lines:46 Added:10/04/2015

I see that the small-minded, hopelessly out of touch people calling the shots in Umatilla and Morrow counties have done everything possible to prevent "reefer madness" from infecting our community. Thursday was the first day that it was legal to buy and sell marijuana in Oregon for recreational purposes. But our leaders have done everything they can to make sure this scourge does not reach us, especially our children.

The first problem is that they are about 50 years late. When I was in high school in Hermiston in the late 1960s, kids were smoking dope. The second problem is that while they think they are protecting the people they represent, the opposite is actually true. Pot is out there, they just want to keep it something that's sold by the more unsavory members of our society rather than by people who are subject to state licensing rules and regulations.

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191 US OR: Medford Ends Ban On Pot SalesSat, 03 Oct 2015
Source:Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR) Author:Mann, Damian Area:Oregon Lines:100 Added:10/04/2015

Councilor Clay Bearnson Plans to Open Cannabis Store

A 17-month moratorium on medical marijuana sales will end Dec. 1 in Medford, the City Council decided Thursday night.

The ban on cannabis dispensaries will be lifted, but recreational sales will not begin until sometime in 2016 when the Oregon Liquor Control Commission develops its rules and regulations. Ballot Measure 91, passed by voters last November, legalized pot for anyone age 21 or older.

Councilor Daniel Bunn supported the ordinance, which will require a second reading before taking effect, but expressed concern about allowing pot sales in the city.

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192 US OR: OPED: Medical And Recreational Pot Aren't The SameFri, 02 Oct 2015
Source:Register-Guard, The (OR) Author:Evans, David Guy Area:Oregon Lines:105 Added:10/03/2015

A Sept. 28 Register-Guard editorial concerning the retail cannabis sales that began Thursday included two assertions that need to be addressed.

The 25 percent tax mentioned in the editorial is not applicable to interim adult recreational cannabis sales, according to the Oregon Health Authority website. The tax is applicable only beginning Jan. 4.

Next, the editorial asserts that those current Oregon Medical Marijuana Program patients most likely to drop the program in favor of recreational access never needed cannabis therapeutically, but managed to obtain patient status until recreational access became a reality. I believe the editors have fallen into the same trap as many uninformed persons who believe that many medical cannabis patients are using the OMMP as a dodge, rather than to address bona fide health care needs.

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193US OR: Retail Marijuana Sales Begin In SalemFri, 02 Oct 2015
Source:Statesman Journal (Salem, OR) Author:Yoo, Saerom Area:Oregon Lines:Excerpt Added:10/03/2015

A group of about 12 people milled around the locked door of Canna Medicine, a medical marijuana dispensary in South Salem. It was a sunny Thursday morning just before 10 a.m., the first day Oregonians age 21 and up could legally purchase recreational marijuana.

More than 250 stores statewide that were already selling medical marijuana opened to the general public to sell to recreational users.

Portland dispensaries could start selling retail marijuana starting at midnight, but Salem stores began selling at 10 a.m.

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194US OR: OPED: Marijuana Emerges From Oregon's Shadows TodayThu, 01 Oct 2015
Source:Statesman Journal (Salem, OR)          Area:Oregon Lines:Excerpt Added:10/03/2015

[Today] medical marijuana dispensaries in Oregon that choose to do so can begin selling dried pot leaves and flowers to people other than the patients they've been serving the past 18 months. The Oregon Health Authority - which oversees the medical marijuana program - will allow dispensaries to sell it for non-medicinal use through Dec. 31, 2016, a couple of months after state-approved rules for selling recreational marijuana are due to go into effect.

Possession and use of recreational marijuana became legal in Oregon in July. One of the reasons Oregonians voted to legalize recreational use last November was to try to kill off the black market for the drug. Fearing it would get a boost once recreational use became legal, officials agreed to allow medical marijuana dispensaries to also sell their product for recreational use until a recreational sales program is in place.

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195US OR: Oregon's Legal Pot Sales Robust but Violations WorryFri, 02 Oct 2015
Source:Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) Author:Crombie, Noelle Area:Oregon Lines:Excerpt Added:10/02/2015

Oregon opened its recreational market Thursday to festive and orderly crowds eager to make their first legal purchase of pot.

Statewide, the Oregon Health Authority gave 245 medical marijuana dispensaries the go-ahead to sell cannabis to anyone 21 and older, though the agency does not know how many stores actually sold the drug on Thursday.

The sheer number of marijuana outlets meant most shoppers didn't endure extra long wait times that marked the opening days of regulated marijuana markets in Colorado and Washington, the only other places where pot is sold in state-regulated stores.

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196 US OR: Rogue Valley Customers Line Up for First Day ofFri, 02 Oct 2015
Source:Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR) Author:Morgan, Nick Area:Oregon Lines:127 Added:10/02/2015

Local Dispensaries See Steady Business on First Day of Recreational Pot Sales

Thursday morning just about 10 a.m., baby boomers, generation X-ers and millennials lined up about 10 at a time at Green Valley Wellness in Talent for their first opportunity to purchase legal recreational marijuana.

"Here we are, folks, this is it," Green Valley CEO Michael Monarch told the crowd. "Whoo!"

The medical marijuana dispensary normally opens at 10, but potential customers arrived as early as 8 a.m. By 9 a.m., Monarch said he had second thoughts about turning eager buyers away.

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197US OR: Recreational Pot Users Score Bags of Bud at Oregon ShopsThu, 01 Oct 2015
Source:Olympian, The (WA) Author:Cooper, Jonathan J. Area:Oregon Lines:Excerpt Added:10/02/2015

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Excited shoppers looking to score some of the first recreational marijuana sold legally in Oregon bought up baggies of bud early Thursday, taking advantage of door-buster prices and other deals.

Some of the more than 250 dispensaries that already offer medical marijuana in the state welcomed recreational users soon after midnight - just moments after it became legal to sell to anyone who is at least 21.

At Shango Premium Cannabis in Portland, co-founder Shane McKee said the first sale came about a minute after midnight and many others quickly followed.

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198 US OR: Column: Pot-litical Fact CheckingThu, 01 Oct 2015
Source:Portland Mercury (OR) Author:Jardine, Josh Area:Oregon Lines:72 Added:10/01/2015

The Pot Discussion From the Republican Debate

IT'S ELECTION SEASON! Never mind that the general election is 13-plus months away. As the 370 Republican candidates for el presidente have shown, now is the time to convince voters who is the best person for the job.

As of this writing, no candidate has come out in favor of full federal legalization of cannabis. There has been talk about "examining" the issue, which is akin to your parents saying, "we'll see" about a new bike, puppy, or trip to Disneyland. Populist candidate Bernie Sanders has made the most noise, and he should wholeheartedly embrace it-just imagine the potential for new images on his "Feel the Bern" T-shirts.

[continues 390 words]

199 US OR: Editorial: First Retail Pot Sales Won't Be a Big ChangeWed, 30 Sep 2015
Source:Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR)          Area:Oregon Lines:62 Added:10/01/2015

Thursday will be a big day for those who have waited to legally purchase recreational marijuana in Oregon, but the change will probably go unremarked by everyone else.

A dozen medical marijuana dispensaries will offer recreational pot to adults 21 and over, from Gold Hill to Ashland - but not in Medford, which is still working out the details for when - and if - it will approve retail sales.

Medford voters split nearly 50-50 on last fall's legalization initiative, so it's not surprising the City Council has been cautious about allowing retail sales, processing facilities or testing labs, all of which are now legal in Oregon. A permanent moratorium on pot shops remains in place, although the council has now reviewed proposals on where such shops could locate and possible restrictions on their operations.

[continues 297 words]

200 US OR: Legal Marijuana Sales Start at Midnight in Lane CountyWed, 30 Sep 2015
Source:Register-Guard, The (OR) Author:Glucklich, Elon Area:Oregon Lines:36 Added:10/01/2015

The clock is ticking.

At the stroke of midnight, anyone 21 years and older will be able to buy marijuana from a licensed Oregon dispensary, as the state lifts the curtain on recreational pot sales.

The ground-breaking shift in drug policy stems from the passage of Oregon Measure 91 in 2014, and a law passed by the state Legislature this year giving medical marijuana dispensaries the green light to sell to all adults Oct. 1.

Though the law takes effect at midnight, it's unclear which of Lane County's 30-plus dispensaries, if any, will open their doors right at midnight.

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