Deschutes County hearing Wednesday on marijuana rules

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on amendments to the county’s marijuana regulations on Wednesday at 10 a.m.

The amendments, which were adopted in October, refine the ways marijuana production is regulated and enforced in the rural parts of Deschutes County. After the amendments were adopted, they were appealed to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA).

“After reviewing the petition that was filed with LUBA, our legal counsel recommended that we withdraw our revised regulations. Opponents raised substantive legal issues for the first time on appeal that have not been presented to us at the local level,” said Deschutes County Chair Phil Henderson.

“We feel that since these decisions impact Deschutes County residents, the board wants the first chance at reviewing and developing a complete record before it goes to LUBA,” he added.

Wednesday’s hearing will allow the county and residents to respond to the new issues raised by opponents and comment on the specific regulations. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in the Barnes and Sawyer room at the Deschutes Services Center, which is located at 1300 NW Wall Street in Bend.

For more information about the marijuana amendments or the public hearing, please call (541) 388-6528. Written feedback can be submitted via email to tanya.saltzman@deschutes.org.