Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Oregon's biggest medical marijuana grow site doesn't even serve Oregonians.
The grow site, located in the Josephine County community of Selma, produces medical marijuana for 104 Oregon medical marijuana patients — all of them in California.
Two patients live in northern California and the rest live in and around Orange County, Calif., according to The Oregonian/OregonLive's analysis of 2014 state medical marijuana grow site data.
The Selma grow site, located in the heart of the state's outdoor marijuana growing region, serves far more medical marijuana patients than any other site in the state.
The next largest, according to The Oregonian/Oregonlive's analysis, serves 62 patients and is located in Southeast Portland.
Oregon has seen explosive growth in large-scale marijuana production in just the past two years, according The Oregonian/OregonLive's analysis. Among the findings: 282 grow sites statewide produce cannabis for 11 or more medical marijuana patients — a 130 percent spike since 2012.
The analysis also revealed 23 grow sites produce for 20 or more patients, a 156 percent increase since 2012. The Oregonian/OregonLive's analysis is based on 2014 grow site data maintained by the Oregon Health Authority.
(Oregon marijuana growers vie for real estate as they prepare for recreational market)
The agency released the data in response to a request by The Oregonian/OregonLive. It includes ZIP codes for every Oregon medical marijuana grow site producing for 11 or more patients, as well as ZIP codes for patients associated with those locations. The information was stripped of patient identities and grow site addresses -- information that is, by law, confidential.
Portland tops the list of cities with the largest number of grow sites serving 11 or more patients. Next up: Williams, Grants pass, Cave Junction and Eagle Point, southern Oregon communities where marijuana culture and outdoor production thrive.
For every patient, growers can have up to six mature marijuana plant and 18 smaller plants. The amount of marijuana plants produce varies and depends on the conditions and growers' skill. An experienced commercial grower can produce a half-pound to a pound and a half per plant; a marijuana plant grown outdoors can produce between 3 to 5 pounds.
Medical marijuana production is not regulated in Oregon. Authorities don't track how much medical marijuana is produced or where it ends up. Cannabis produced by medical marijuana growers ends up going to patients, the state's newly regulated medical marijuana dispensary market and onto the black market, where Oregon marijuana sells for top dollar, especially out of state.
Oregon allows medical marijuana patients to grow their own cannabis or designate someone to do it for them. The state allows out of state residents to obtain patient cards. Large-scale medical marijuana producers often collect patient cards — a strategy referred to as "card stacking" — so they can boost the amount of cannabis they're allowed to produce under law.
Growers said they turn to friends and acquaintances as sources of patient cards. Commercial growers typically pick up some or all of the costs related to a patient obtaining a medical marijuana card.
At Shane McKee's Clackamas County marijuana grow site, patient cards are posted outside of each grow room. The longtime grower and Portland dispensary owner said he doesn't worry about oversight from the medical marijuana program; he's more concerned about proving his grow site is legal in case police show up.
"The last thing I want is a bad mark," said McKee. "I want to be compliant 110 percent."
Joel Jennings and Case Van Dorne, medical marijuana growers who own a Southeast Portland dispensary, Five Zero Trees, said they too worry about staying within the cultivation and possession limits of the medical marijuana law.
They always keep their patient cards handy in case they're questioned by police.
"I don't let those things out of my sight," Jennings said.
Oregon lawmakers this session are likely to consider legislation governing medical marijuana production, including one bill that would require the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to regulate commercial medical marijuana production and processing.
Tom Burns, the state's point man on marijuana policy, said he's concerned about stepped up marijuana production. Until last month, Burns oversaw the state's medical marijuana dispensary program. He's now director of marijuana programs for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the agency charged with overseeing the regulation of recreational marijuana.
In an interview late last year with The Oregonian/OregonLive, Burns decried "card stacking" as "a sham."
His biggest worry, he said, is production will outpace demand and that Oregon marijuana will continue to leak into the black market.
"That's a problem," said Burns. "The message I want out is that you it at your own risk. You better do it in the system. If we find out you are selling it on the black market, it may jeopardize your ability to get a (recreational) license."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Oregon's largest medical marijuana grow site serves only California patients | OregonLive.com
Author: Noelle Crombie
Contact: ncrombie@oregonian.com
Photo Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graft
Website: Oregon Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - OregonLive.com
The grow site, located in the Josephine County community of Selma, produces medical marijuana for 104 Oregon medical marijuana patients — all of them in California.
Two patients live in northern California and the rest live in and around Orange County, Calif., according to The Oregonian/OregonLive's analysis of 2014 state medical marijuana grow site data.
The Selma grow site, located in the heart of the state's outdoor marijuana growing region, serves far more medical marijuana patients than any other site in the state.
The next largest, according to The Oregonian/Oregonlive's analysis, serves 62 patients and is located in Southeast Portland.
Oregon has seen explosive growth in large-scale marijuana production in just the past two years, according The Oregonian/OregonLive's analysis. Among the findings: 282 grow sites statewide produce cannabis for 11 or more medical marijuana patients — a 130 percent spike since 2012.
The analysis also revealed 23 grow sites produce for 20 or more patients, a 156 percent increase since 2012. The Oregonian/OregonLive's analysis is based on 2014 grow site data maintained by the Oregon Health Authority.
(Oregon marijuana growers vie for real estate as they prepare for recreational market)
The agency released the data in response to a request by The Oregonian/OregonLive. It includes ZIP codes for every Oregon medical marijuana grow site producing for 11 or more patients, as well as ZIP codes for patients associated with those locations. The information was stripped of patient identities and grow site addresses -- information that is, by law, confidential.
Portland tops the list of cities with the largest number of grow sites serving 11 or more patients. Next up: Williams, Grants pass, Cave Junction and Eagle Point, southern Oregon communities where marijuana culture and outdoor production thrive.
For every patient, growers can have up to six mature marijuana plant and 18 smaller plants. The amount of marijuana plants produce varies and depends on the conditions and growers' skill. An experienced commercial grower can produce a half-pound to a pound and a half per plant; a marijuana plant grown outdoors can produce between 3 to 5 pounds.
Medical marijuana production is not regulated in Oregon. Authorities don't track how much medical marijuana is produced or where it ends up. Cannabis produced by medical marijuana growers ends up going to patients, the state's newly regulated medical marijuana dispensary market and onto the black market, where Oregon marijuana sells for top dollar, especially out of state.
Oregon allows medical marijuana patients to grow their own cannabis or designate someone to do it for them. The state allows out of state residents to obtain patient cards. Large-scale medical marijuana producers often collect patient cards — a strategy referred to as "card stacking" — so they can boost the amount of cannabis they're allowed to produce under law.
Growers said they turn to friends and acquaintances as sources of patient cards. Commercial growers typically pick up some or all of the costs related to a patient obtaining a medical marijuana card.
At Shane McKee's Clackamas County marijuana grow site, patient cards are posted outside of each grow room. The longtime grower and Portland dispensary owner said he doesn't worry about oversight from the medical marijuana program; he's more concerned about proving his grow site is legal in case police show up.
"The last thing I want is a bad mark," said McKee. "I want to be compliant 110 percent."
Joel Jennings and Case Van Dorne, medical marijuana growers who own a Southeast Portland dispensary, Five Zero Trees, said they too worry about staying within the cultivation and possession limits of the medical marijuana law.
They always keep their patient cards handy in case they're questioned by police.
"I don't let those things out of my sight," Jennings said.
Oregon lawmakers this session are likely to consider legislation governing medical marijuana production, including one bill that would require the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to regulate commercial medical marijuana production and processing.
Tom Burns, the state's point man on marijuana policy, said he's concerned about stepped up marijuana production. Until last month, Burns oversaw the state's medical marijuana dispensary program. He's now director of marijuana programs for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the agency charged with overseeing the regulation of recreational marijuana.
In an interview late last year with The Oregonian/OregonLive, Burns decried "card stacking" as "a sham."
His biggest worry, he said, is production will outpace demand and that Oregon marijuana will continue to leak into the black market.
"That's a problem," said Burns. "The message I want out is that you it at your own risk. You better do it in the system. If we find out you are selling it on the black market, it may jeopardize your ability to get a (recreational) license."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Oregon's largest medical marijuana grow site serves only California patients | OregonLive.com
Author: Noelle Crombie
Contact: ncrombie@oregonian.com
Photo Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graft
Website: Oregon Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - OregonLive.com
