OREGON UPDATES
Jackson County Declares State of Emergency in Response to Illegal Marijuana Grows Medford, OR. | Oct 13, 2021 Jamie Parfitt T he Jackson County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for the proliferation of unlicensed marijuana operations throughout the county, calling for state and federal help in cracking down on the grows.
The declaration has been weeks in the making, and county officials scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. Wednesday morning to cover the specifics of “requests for immediate assistance to the Oregon Governor, House of Representatives, and Senate.” Commissioner Dyer, Sheriff Nathan Sickler, and County Watermaster Shavon Haynes were on hand. With the state of emergency, Jackson County is specifically asking the state for funding that can be used to field more personnel: code enforcement officers, hearing officers, water resources staff, detectives, patrol deputies, law enforcement support staff, and the assignment of additional state water officials. Like a number of neighboring counties, Jackson County has seen more and more unlicensed grows connected to a considerable black market for marijuana, with the majority of the product believed to be bound for other states in the US where marijuana has not been recreationally legalized. Jackson County law enforcement raided a pair of large grows at the beginning of September, but the grows dismantled thus far are just the tip of the iceberg. Officials have said that many of the illegal grows attempt to pass themselves off as legal hemp farms, though the numbers are uncertain. Sheriff Sickler estimated that there are roughly 1,000 marijuana and hemp grows in Jackson County, between the legal and illegal operations. In an overview during Wednesday’s press conference, Commissioner Dyer said that Jackson County’s ability to enforce laws covering marijuana have been overwhelmed, with officials noting a 59% increase in calls for service related to marijuana, particularly the black market trade. The County’s code enforcement division in particular has been swamped. In the days before the marijuana boom, the time required to investigate complaints was about three weeks. Now the process takes closer to four months.
In a brief vote Wednesday morning, the commissioners approved Order No. 186-21, “Declaring a Local State of Emergency Within Jackson County Relating to Unlawful Cannabis Activities and Other Matters Related Thereto.”
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The Business Review | October 2021
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