JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. (KTVL) — The Jackson County Board of Commissioners in Oregon declared a state of emergency regarding hemp and cannabis grows on Tuesday.
The resolution will prevent the issuance of new hemp licenses. Those with existing licenses are permitted to keep growing.
“The production and processing of cannabis has resulted in significant impacts to Jackson County related to enforcement and compliance of county codes, state criminal law and jeopardizing the public health, safety, and welfare of our citizens,” said Jackson County Administrator Danny Jordan at a work session on Tuesday.
Jordan says it’s part of the county’s overall effort to combat illegal grows in the Rogue Valley. Those efforts include additional law enforcement resources.
“We have a continued lack of funding and resources to properly regulate and enforce county codes, state criminal law state, and water law related to the cannabis industry that constitutes an extreme risk to public health and safety and continues to cause significant impacts in our county,” Jordan said.
The county commissioners also declared a state of emergency regarding illegal grows last year, which revolved around getting extra funding for law enforcement agencies.
This declaration, however, doesn’t bring statistics on illegal grows like in 2021, but the board does not foresee that as an issue.
“It’s not a problem. If you look at what we basically say, it’s that what led to the rise in 2021 is continuing,” said county counsel Joel Benton at the work session.
Senate Bill 1564, passed earlier this year, allows county governments to request a suspension of hemp-growing licenses within county lines.
Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, is one of the bill’s chief sponsors. She said there are too many growers getting into the market legally who then exploit the situation.
The state of emergency will expire on Dec. 31 of next year. Marsh is confident that won’t need to be extended based on some of the other strategies in place.
“We’ve gotten resources to law enforcement and to local community organizations that are working with exploited workers on those sites. We’ve gotten money to the water folks so that they can really go out with law enforcement, and we can start to prosecute people for inappropriately hauling water and using water,” Marsh said.
There is a package of new reforms that are on the docket to be considered in Salem early next year, which includes additional prosecution over extremely large grows as well as additional funding for community-based organizations.
H/T: foxbaltimore.com
