Were the legalization of weed a pregnancy, with its conception marked during the month before the election and its due date July 1, the day that pot is officially legal in Oregon, we’d be entering the third trimester. The nursery walls would be painted, the crib built, the cabinet filled with diapers and onesies.
But how is Bend preparing for the stork’s pending delivery?
It depends where you look. Preparations range from proactive to pensive to practically unconcerned.
The City: Laissez-faire
Though Measure 91 did not create an allowance for cities to impose their own taxes on recreational marijuana, many municipalities passed taxing ordinances anyway. The hope being that the State Legislature will grandfather them in. In fact, according to the Oregonian, some 70 towns and cities—including Redmond, La Pine and Madras—passed a weed tax before election day and are now crossing their fingers that the state legislature will let them collect some 15 percent of marijuana revenues.
But Bend was not one of those cities—and may miss out on additional funding for its police department and schools if the state grandfathers in pre-election local taxes.
Under the structure laid out by Measure 91, an excise tax is to be paid at the grower level to the tune of $35 an ounce for flower, $10 an ounce for leaves, and $5 per immature plant. According to the voter’s pamphlet, that’s estimated to bring in anywhere from $17 million to $40 million annually. The bulk of those revenues (40 percent) will go to the Common School Fund. The remainder will go to Mental Health, Alcoholism and Drug Services (20 percent), State Police (15 percent), city enforcement of the measure (10 percent), county enforcement of the measure (10 percent) and the Oregon Health Authority For Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention (5 percent).
Still, just because Bend City Council chose not to pursue a local pot tax doesn’t mean the City has been ignoring legalization.
“The City has been aware of this upcoming change and discussing it for some time,” says City Manager Eric King. He goes on to explain that city councilors and staff including attorneys, human resources, the planning department and Bend Police officials have been engaged in research and attended conferences on the subject.
Yet despite all this “education,” City staff and Council have declined to take any specific actions and instead are taking a hands-off approach.
“There has been no Council direction to develop any regulations on marijuana,” King says. “Bend’s not working on establishing a marijuana tax or any type of ban. The Council has reiterated that the State has authority on this issue. OLCC [Oregon Liquor Control Commission] is the responsible agent.”
King does say, though, that there are some areas that will require clarification, such as driving under the influence and zoning issues.
“The main concern the City has is that there is a lack of clarity about what constitutes impaired driving. There’s no meter or blood test, so it’ll have to be observed,” he says, adding that there are currently a “handful” of police officers trained in recognizing when someone is driving under the influence of marijuana.
When it comes to land use, the City is waiting on the State Legislature to fill in some of the blanks in the ballot measure—specifically with regard to the zoning and density of commercial marijuana business. Once it does, staff will have a better idea of how to manage zoning and other issues related to the establishment of retail operations.
“At this time, medical marijuana establishments are treated like medical clinics, and allowed in commercial zones. State regulations require they have 1,000-foot buffers from schools,” King explains. “We expect there will be similar regulations from the state for recreational marijuana establishments, and we can address their locations in our zoning code.”
But, on the whole, he says he feels the City is on track, and prepared for the legalization of recreational pot, even though many cities in Oregon are pressuring the legislature for greater local control.
Tourism: Not Gonna Cultivate It!
Once retail shops start to pop up, and perhaps even sooner, Oregon will no doubt become an increasingly attractive destination for weed lovers. And Bend—with its already vibrant medicinal marijuana market, high density of reggae-loving snowboarders, and established craft beer scene—seems prime for weed tourism.
But if a Weed Walk or Pot Path are destined to follow in the footsteps of the popular Ale Trail, Visit Bend hasn’t started drafting that. Instead, the tourism agency’s Executive Director Doug La Placa is taking a wait-and-see approach.
“It’s difficult to predict what, if any, impact the legalization of recreational marijuana will have on Bend’s tourism industry,” La Placa explains. “My initial thought is that there are other cities in Oregon that are much better positioned to capitalize on the potential of weed tourism.”
Bend, he says, already has “dozens of other compelling reasons to visit”—such as the craft beer culture and strong summer and winter sports scenes. And while tourism agencies don’t typically turn away potential visitors, La Placa posits that weed tourism is too risky.
“I don’t think the inevitable controversy that would erupt over a publicly-funded marijuana tourism marketing campaign is worth the likely negligible economic upside for the industry,” La Placa explains. “If another tourism marketing organization feels differently, they can cultivate the opportunity. Visit Bend isn’t going to touch it.”
He says he recognizes that marijuana tourism can serve as a source of economic stimulus, particularly for cities without another tourist attraction. For Bend, however, La Placa says it’s not the city’s best bet.
“At this point, we have no plans to promote Bend as a recreational marijuana destination,” La Placa affirms. “We don’t have any moral or ethical problem with it, we just don’t see it as a leading competitive advantage for Bend’s tourism industry.”
Grow Shops: Ready for business
Bend has no shortage of garden centers, indoor grow shops and hydroponic outfitters. And while they are typically discreet about the extent to which their customers may be growing pot, as opposed to heirloom tomatoes, it’s no secret that these shops have what the small-scale grower needs.
“Definitely a large percentage—possibly 80 percent or more—of our business is related to marijuana growing, but most people are pretty quiet about what they are growing,” says Corey Spurlock with Green Leaf Garden Center.
He adds that while Green Leaf doesn’t current provide specific advice on growing marijuana—after all, many of the shop’s products could be used to grow garden veggies, flowers, or indoor houseplants—he sees that changing with the legalization of recreational marijuana.
“I see our business growing substantially with the upcoming change in laws. We are already getting calls and questions from people wanting to buy equipment they will need to get started with the allowed four plants,” Spurlock says. “While we do have some larger commercial customers, the majority of our business is from smaller, personal sized gardens by people that are growing presumably for themselves and/or their OMMP [Oregon Medical Marijuana Program] card holders.”
To cater to those individuals interested in growing for personal recreational use, Green Leaf has already started advertising a starter kit of sorts, with everything a new grower would need to get growing—including a small grow tent, ballast, light, ventilation, timer, and environmental controller.
In addition to bundling supplies, Spurlock says Green Leaf plans to offer classes for folks just getting started.
“We will be planning these types of activities in the future as needed, depending on the influx of new growers,” he says. “Our staff is very educated on plant growth in general and the basics apply to all plants, not just marijuana.”
While Spurlock expects that more grow shops will emerge to take advantage of this growing industry, he says he welcomes competition and hopes that legalization will help smaller local businesses thrive.
“Personally, the biggest challenge that I foresee is the stigma that marijuana is a bad evil drug—the reefer madness mentality. That and the fear of it still being federally illegal,” Spurlock says. “As far as opportunities, I think the sky is the limit. It is the fastest growing industry in the United States right now.”
And while he says he’s not much of a pot-smoker himself, he hopes that legalization will inspire a broader conversation on not only the medicinal, but also the economic benefits of marijuana.
“I’d like people to have an open mind regarding the future of marijuana,” he says.
Labs: Cannibis Chemistry
Whether recreational marijuana stokes the fire of Bend’s tourism industry, it’s likely to turn up the Bunsen burner on emerging cannabis testing labs, like Bend-based CannAlytical Research.
The local lab currently tests cannabis and its derivatives for potency, strain and the presence of undesirable elements such as microbes, pesticides, and residual solvent. These testing services are required under Oregon’s medical marijuana law, and it’s expected that the State Legislature will enact similar testing requirements for recreational pot.
“If recreational cannabis is required to be tested, and we certainly believe it should, then yes, of course, we expect an increase in business,” says Carlos Cummings, CannAlytical Research’s owner. “We also expect many new entries to this burgeoning market, including new labs.”
In anticipation of increasing demand for marijuana testing services, CannAlytical Research is increasing its staff and upgrading its laboratory.
“We have hired a scientist, we’re currently interviewing analytical chemists, and we have a new HPLC [high performance liquid chromatography], to better and more efficiently analyze and research cannabis in our lab,” Cummings says.
That said, Cummings expects only a slight bump in business on July 1, anticipating that the real action will take place sometime in 2016.
“It will take the OLCC and the State quite a bit longer to write the laws that will govern recreational cannabis and for the recreational market to become established,” Cummings explains. “We do not expect a significant increase in testing until perhaps after recreational dispensaries are actually open.”
Still, he is looking to the future now. He anticipates new labs opening up and the stricter regulation of the credentials of testing staff, such as requiring lab supervisors to hold advanced degrees in chemistry.
“The main challenge is controlling the burgeoning recreational market and protecting the established medical program,” Cummings adds. “Legalization has so many potential benefits, I almost don’t know where to begin; taxes for our community and social programs, awareness, education, research, and understanding of a miraculous plant, financial gain across our economy and classes, better soils, air, water, well being and health, and the cure for cancer, etc.”
While the jury is still out on if and how medical and recreational establishments might interact with one another, he says he wants to be sure that recreational weed enhances rather than threatens medical marijuana.
“As cannabis regulation moves forward at the recreational level, the OMMP program should also be strengthened,” he says. “Patients should have access to medicine-grade cannabis for their ailments and diseases.”
Schools and Parents:
Let’s talk about drugs
While much of the preparations for legal weed are focused on the business side of the equation, some are gearing up for a defensive effort aimed at keeping marijuana out of the hands of children.
In some ways, it’s a continuation of the work already being done. The fact that weed will be legal for adults 21 and over isn’t likely to change the core message from schools and drug awareness campaigners—that drug and alcohol use are illegal for minors and come with real risks.
“The District does not foresee significant changes in the educational content or approach to drug education based on the legalization of marijuana,” explains incoming Bend-La Pine superintendent Shay Mikalson. “Currently, education focuses on the harmful effects of a number of drugs and substances, legal and illegal, from a health and wellness standpoint.”
He points out that the curriculum currently covers the “harmful effects and dangers” of alcohol, which is, of course, legal for adults over 21. When students return to school post-legalization in the fall, however, marijuana will likely be highlighted.
“As marijuana becomes legalized, and access to it changes as edibles and other forms continue to grow in their accessibility, it is likely that teachers will seek to educate students on the harmful effects and dangers of this soon-to-be-legal drug,” Mikalson explains.
But it’s not just children that are being primed for increased weed education. At the OLCC’s marijuana listening session in Bend, a number of attendees emphasized the importance of educating parents so they can help keep pot out of their kids’ hands.
“Education is paramount, especially of parents,” says Barbara Stoefen, who serves on the board of the Shared Future Coalition and speaks in local schools on preventing and responding to drug addiction. “Parents need to fully understand the risks that marijuana poses for their children, and that it is indeed addictive for some.”
And while she believes that the drug education in local middle and high schools is adequate, she says it could go further toward providing youth with concrete tools to avoid drugs.
“We tell kids not to engage in certain activities and behaviors, but don’t offer them the necessary tools. ‘Just say no’ doesn’t work and is not a solution,” Stoefen says. “Another coalition of which I’m a board member, the Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, has a youth advisory committee that is putting the finishing touches on a video to teach drug refusal skills to teens. We are also in the early stages of developing a website exclusively for teens.”
She says she hopes these projects will be up and running by the time school starts again in the fall. Another thing Stoefen, whose own daughter battled with addiction, would like to see is more resources for students who are experiencing addiction personally, or being impacted by the addiction of a family member.
“Drug abuse and addiction exists in more families than most people realize, and children raised in these homes are highly stressed and at greater risk for addiction themselves,” she explains. “It would be incredible to have weekly support groups for at-risk students, providing an opportunity for them to develop coping skills.”
Ultimately, Stoefen says she does not believe Bend is ready for legal weed, but has some ideas about how it could get there. While it’s impossible to anticipate every possible outcome, she says, more time and resources could go into developing a solid, community- based plan.
“There is no question this new law will change Bend, and it will change Oregon. Are we ready? Oh my goodness, no. The logistics of implementing a new law like this, and the ripple effects, will be far reaching,” Stoefen explains. “We as a city need to be vigilant about doing the best job possible with implementation. Much will be required of our City leaders and a task force could prove very helpful.”
Note: We have edited this story to more accurately reflect the age at which marijuana will be legal for adults starting July 1. Though medical marijuana is legal for adults 18 and older, recreational marijuana will only be legal for those 21 and up.
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This article appears in Mar 18-25, 2015.
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SHROOMS ARE NEXT
Forget the cannabis dilemma…Do an article about Industrial Hemp. Now legal and licensed to grow in Oregon. Congress is also about to consider a bill to drop Hemps illegal status as a drug, which it is not (being introduced by OR and KY Senators). Central Oregon is primed for Hemp processing and products…plus some growing small scale in Bend and north to the Columbia. I would love to see the Pacific NW as the Hemp/Cannibus seed capital of America. We have the diverse climate ranges to be just that. IMHO
charles webster baer
march 22nd , 2015
tianjin , china
.
tally ho . its been a year since I announced my decision to head west to the orient . spring has sprung . loving it here in china . the overwhelming size and frantic pace has totally overloaded me in a incredible way . the debth and mystery of the culture and the warmth and attitude of the people has completely captivated me . Im almost chinese . the people here will stare at you if you are big or tall or white or have facial hair or dreads . if you have all five they practically wet their pants . I have come to expect and enjoy this . I should be the center of attention and I am . all is kosher here in the hood . there was a big fire here last week right next door to the college where all the food stalls are . I watched the whole thing . wild . it looks like a bomb went off . my foot feels better so I think / hope that drama is over . school is going really well . teaching is a good time and the kids all speak great english and we have fun . last week went back to the museum and had a great time as usual . yesterday I went to the zoo which was great . then I went to the t.v. tower , which is almost exactly like the space needle . sat on a couch and drank ice coffee as I rotated slowly around 360 degrees 800 feet up in the middle of town . breakfast is an english muffin or a tortilla , shredded cabbage or potato , sauce , a hot dog or chicken , and a fride egg . they have these snack packs , I dont know what they are called , but they look like french fries , but its very chewy bread sticks covered in spicy oil , sooooo good . unlike my last place , Im told that where I live not only has an address where I can recieve mail , but they may even let me know what that address is in the near future . then I can get stuff sent to me , like 100% aloe vera gel and sperry top siders , size 12 , extra wide . the four keys to reality being those two things and duct tape and peanut butter . big lily pad pond where I live that I play my conga at sometimes in the evening as the sun sets over building 11-7 , the still under construction 117 story , 2000 feet high sky scraper that is across the street from the college . here at my college office it is me and ben . ben is an american who is from L.A. and both his parents are from tiawan so he looks and is totally chinese but sounds like he has spent all his life in cali because he has , he moved there when he was four . so he is very cool and we get along very well . he has been here for five years . going to the bath room in china is a public event . the door to the mens and womens bath rooms are always open for all to see . so , when in rome . also , when you need to go number two , there is no toilet , and no toilet paper , and , in the stall , sometimes no door or a door that wont close . also , used t.p. goes into a trash can in the stall . so , when in rome . . . you recall the problem I had with my pinching toilet seat last year . well this year I have a toilet seat that is completely different so I did not have to worry . W R O N G . this one , instead of cracking and then pinching me where I really would rather not be pinched , now clamps down on the seat at a time and place where a certain part of my anatomy in the general vasinatey if you know what Im saying . so , once again I now live in terror and paranoia . if mao did not say MAN SHOULD NOT FEAR HIS TOILET SEAT then he should have . so on monday I teach 7 classes to high school sophmores . on tuesday I teach 6 classes to college students . on wednesday I teach 6 classes to high school sophmores . on thursday I teach four classes to college students . on friday I teach two classes to college students . the following week is the same sqedual but a different set of college students . the college students get me one week and other teach the next . so , role call may be tough and I may blow it off completely . the classes are about 33 kids , a few are double that . one strategy I have is just letting the kids get up one by one and talk about whatever they want . with the college students I told them , if anyone’s cell phone makes any noise , then grab you stuff and walk out the door . the high school students is border line anarchy but thats good because you want them to participate . the problem occurs when they just put thier head down and pretend they are deaf and blind . this is a great time to be in china because the whole country is changing so rapidly on every level . the vortex for all of this is the smart phone . every chinese person has a smart phone and it dictates the majority of thier life . the chinese have skipped the lap top and have gone straight to the phone and wi fi . as we head into april my classes will again start to morph into my geo political rants about transparency and equality and the u.n. and the i.m.f. and environmental sustainability blah blah blah . when the boredom level becomes unbaerable , then its back to everyone standing up and talking about whatever they want . this is a good chance for them to get stuff off of thier mind and address thier own concerns and its very theropudic for them and they dig it and get really good at it . the default is just taking turns reading from the text book . at the college , instead of the bell they play this classic waltz music . chinese for phone , show z . chinese for computer , d now . favorite part of zoo . giant chinese salamander . favorite part of museum , jade burial suit . ok , peeps , love you all , keep on rockin , c w b out .
charles webster baer
march 22nd , 2015
tianjin , china
.
tally ho . its been a year since I announced my decision to head west to the orient . spring has sprung . loving it here in china . the overwhelming size and frantic pace has totally overloaded me in a incredible way . the debth and mystery of the culture and the warmth and attitude of the people has completely captivated me . Im almost chinese . the people here will stare at you if you are big or tall or white or have facial hair or dreads . if you have all five they practically wet their pants . I have come to expect and enjoy this . I should be the center of attention and I am . all is kosher here in the hood . there was a big fire here last week right next door to the college where all the food stalls are . I watched the whole thing . wild . it looks like a bomb went off . my foot feels better so I think / hope that drama is over . school is going really well . teaching is a good time and the kids all speak great english and we have fun . last week went back to the museum and had a great time as usual . yesterday I went to the zoo which was great . then I went to the t.v. tower , which is almost exactly like the space needle . sat on a couch and drank ice coffee as I rotated slowly around 360 degrees 800 feet up in the middle of town . breakfast is an english muffin or a tortilla , shredded cabbage or potato , sauce , a hot dog or chicken , and a fride egg . they have these snack packs , I dont know what they are called , but they look like french fries , but its very chewy bread sticks covered in spicy oil , sooooo good . unlike my last place , Im told that where I live not only has an address where I can recieve mail , but they may even let me know what that address is in the near future . then I can get stuff sent to me , like 100% aloe vera gel and sperry top siders , size 12 , extra wide . the four keys to reality being those two things and duct tape and peanut butter . big lily pad pond where I live that I play my conga at sometimes in the evening as the sun sets over building 11-7 , the still under construction 117 story , 2000 feet high sky scraper that is across the street from the college . here at my college office it is me and ben . ben is an american who is from L.A. and both his parents are from tiawan so he looks and is totally chinese but sounds like he has spent all his life in cali because he has , he moved there when he was four . so he is very cool and we get along very well . he has been here for five years . going to the bath room in china is a public event . the door to the mens and womens bath rooms are always open for all to see . so , when in rome . also , when you need to go number two , there is no toilet , and no toilet paper , and , in the stall , sometimes no door or a door that wont close . also , used t.p. goes into a trash can in the stall . so , when in rome . . . you recall the problem I had with my pinching toilet seat last year . well this year I have a toilet seat that is completely different so I did not have to worry . W R O N G . this one , instead of cracking and then pinching me where I really would rather not be pinched , now clamps down on the seat at a time and place where a certain part of my anatomy in the general vasinatey if you know what Im saying . so , once again I now live in terror and paranoia . if mao did not say MAN SHOULD NOT FEAR HIS TOILET SEAT then he should have . so on monday I teach 7 classes to high school sophmores . on tuesday I teach 6 classes to college students . on wednesday I teach 6 classes to high school sophmores . on thursday I teach four classes to college students . on friday I teach two classes to college students . the following week is the same sqedual but a different set of college students . the college students get me one week and other teach the next . so , role call may be tough and I may blow it off completely . the classes are about 33 kids , a few are double that . one strategy I have is just letting the kids get up one by one and talk about whatever they want . with the college students I told them , if anyone’s cell phone makes any noise , then grab you stuff and walk out the door . the high school students is border line anarchy but thats good because you want them to participate . the problem occurs when they just put thier head down and pretend they are deaf and blind . this is a great time to be in china because the whole country is changing so rapidly on every level . the vortex for all of this is the smart phone . every chinese person has a smart phone and it dictates the majority of thier life . the chinese have skipped the lap top and have gone straight to the phone and wi fi . as we head into april my classes will again start to morph into my geo political rants about transparency and equality and the u.n. and the i.m.f. and environmental sustainability blah blah blah . when the boredom level becomes unbaerable , then its back to everyone standing up and talking about whatever they want . this is a good chance for them to get stuff off of thier mind and address thier own concerns and its very theropudic for them and they dig it and get really good at it . the default is just taking turns reading from the text book . at the college , instead of the bell they play this classic waltz music . chinese for phone , show z . chinese for computer , d now . favorite part of zoo . giant chinese salamander . favorite part of museum , jade burial suit . ok , peeps , love you all , keep on rockin , c w b out .