Deschutes leaders vote to lift ban on rural marijuana businesses

After lengthy deliberations and sharply divided testimony, Deschutes County commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to initiate a process to lift a ban on marijuana growing and processing in rural areas of the county.

After reviewing recommendations provided by the county’s Planning Commission, Marijuana Advisory Committee and the public, the board agreed on a framework for what it considers “reasonable regulations to address sight, sound, smell and other impacts associated with the growing and processing of marijuana,” the county’s news release on the decision said.

NewsChannel 21 talked Wednesday with several sides in the debate to get their reaction to the board’s move to “opt in,” adopt rules and rescind a 5-month-old “opt out” on marijuana businesses.

Some residents said it was a victory; others were disappointed by the news.

To reach a decision, commissioners worked with the county’s planning commission and a special advisory committee.

One committee member was Liz Lotochowski, a rural county resident who said she wishes commissioners would have let the opt-out continue until voters could decide the issue. She also said she fears for her safety and worries property values will take a hit.

“I have been impacted by light pollution that occurs. I’ve definitely smelled it,” Lotochowski said.

Commissioner Alan Unger said the county is working to address residents concerns. He said they will address the most important nuisances: light, noise and odor in the regulations.

Cannabis grower Lindsey Pate said while there may be fear among residents, regulations are a good starting point for the community.

“For our county, we get the benefits of what can come with regulation. like safe product, safe processing and an increase in economic development,” Pate said. .

Lotochowski said she hopes growers will respect the land and their neighbors.

“Marijuana industry workers should be good stewards of the land, and I challenge them to do that,” she said. “I look forward to them being responsible producers.”

Commissioners and county staff will take more public input on the rules in coming months.

Here’s the rest of the county’s news release on Wednesday’s decision:

“Regardless of our board’s decision today, marijuana is not going away. Medical marijuana production has been legal since 1998 and now that the legislature allows overage to be sold on the recreational market we have a responsibility to address the impacts and bring both sides together,” said board Vice-Chair Tammy Baney.

“With our decision today, we’re hoping to find a balance between allowing an industry that is already legal and exists both in Oregon and in Deschutes County and preserving rural quality of life.”

County staff will draft and the board will adopt new land use rules to regulate how marijuana can be grown, processed and sold in rural Deschutes County. Land use and development permit applications for medical and marijuana uses will not be accepted until the new rules go into effect.

“We deeply appreciate the time and energy that our planning commissioners, Marijuana Advisory Committee members and so many county residents have invested in an effort to help us address this topic,” said board Chair Alan Unger.

“We’ve spent the past six months listening to folks on both sides of this issue as we worked to assess what appropriate reasonable regulations would look like for our unique region.”

Next Steps:

The board will review draft marijuana land use regulations on Wednesday, May 25. The draft regulations will be available online on Thursday, May 19 after 5 p.m.
At their 10 a.m. business meeting on May 25, the board will have the opportunity to review and revise the draft regulations. If the board supports the regulations as drafted, or only have minimal changes, they will conduct the first reading of the new rules.
The required second reading of the new regulations would occur at least two weeks later on Wednesday, June 8 or the following week.
The new regulations will take effect 90 days after their second reading. At that time, the county will require existing medical marijuana growers to fully comply (unless exempt by state law) with all new regulations within six months of the date that the new regulations are adopted. However, existing medical growers will need to comply with lighting standards that are outlined in new regulations as soon as the new regulations go into effect.

For additional information, please visit: www.deschutes.org/marijuana.

To watch the board’s deliberations on this topic, please visit: http://www.deschutes.org/bcc/page/meetings-and-hearings-information.

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News release from the Oregon Cannabis Association

The Deschutes Board of County Commissioners today unanimously agreed to rescind an ordinance banning cannabis businesses and implement regulations governing the time, place and manner in which they may operate in unincorporated parts of the county.

“Our County Commissioners showed strong leadership today,” said Lindsey Pate, who produces award-winning cannabis at her small family farm near Terrebonne. “By enacting sensible regulations, Deschutes County is promoting livability and public safety while ensuring that Deschutes County will benefit from the jobs and economic opportunity that cannabis businesses are bringing to our region.”

The Commissioners’ decision came after a lengthy and inclusive public process that included recommendations developed by the county planning commission last November and a citizen Marijuana Advisory Committee that met for two months this spring to develop consensus around regulations that govern light, sound and odor from cannabis cultivation on farmland, along with other land use issues.

“The Deschutes County Commission is doing the right thing by following the will of the voters in their county,” said Amy Margolis, who leads the Oregon Cannabis Association. “They took all voices into consideration and made smart, sensible regulatory choices. The Oregon Cannabis Association is proud to have worked collaboratively with community members, the commissioners and the planners to achieve this successful result.”