in June was heralded as a big step in helping local law enforcement crack down. Sheriff Sickler said that HB 3000 did law enforcement a favor by requiring state licensure to grow either marijuana or hemp. Unlicensed “hemp” growers were not previously violating the law, making it incredibly difficult to determine if they were growing hemp or marijuana. Soon after, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission started a campaign to test hemp plants in southern Oregon for THC content, with the intention of sussing out which hemp farms are legitimate. According to the OLCC’s report, more than half of the tested hemp grows visited in September proved to have marijuana on-site, with 5% THC or more. In all, staff from the OLCC and Oregon Department of Agriculture visited 316 registered hemp grow sites in Jackson and Josephine County during the month of September. Of those grows, 114 were positive for high THC content, 98 were negative, and 104 produced no test results because the operators either denied entry, were not at the site, or had previously harvested the plants. Dyer estimated that while there were upwards of 300 licensed grows within the purview of the OLCC investigation, there are just as many “off the grid” with no licensing whatsoever. n
More personnel is needed to cope with the illegal marijauna grows, such as this seizure earlier in the year.
More than half of Jackson County’s citations for code violations are currently marijuana-related. Dyer said that the illegal grows bring a host of problems — environmental damage, fire hazards, “narco-slavery” or forced labor, and water theft. Like code violations, water- related complaints have spiked dramatically in recent years, ballooning 700% during a period of widespread and worsening drought. State aid in combating illegal grows has started to ramp up in recent months. The passage of House Bill 3000
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October 2021 | The Business Review
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