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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 12, 2017)
Wednesday, July 12, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 17 Rural Oregon residents at odds with large marijuana grows By Damian Mann Mail Tribune WILLIAMS (AP) — Williams is known as one of Oregon’s pot-growing capi- tals, but longtime residents have raised alarms over indus- trialized grows they say are ruining the character of this close-knit rural community. “People are pissed off,” said Michael Johnson, chief operating officer of Siskiyou Sungrown Farms. Small artisan cannabis farmers find themselves pit- ted against giant marijuana greenhouse conglomerates, said Johnson, whose outdoor cannabis grow, which relies on sunlight and native soil, is often cited by locals as a responsible operation. Community organizers are drafting a September ballot initiative they hope will lead to a moratorium on activities associated with future large- scale grows until regulations addressing the community’s concerns can be implemented. “This is not about mari- juana, it’s about bringing industry into a rural-resi- dential area,” said Sha’ana Fineberg, co-chair of the Williams Town Council and Citizens Advisory Committee. “It’s asking for a morato- rium on the activities that are negatively impacting the community.” Growing marijuana has long been a way of life in Williams, but gardens were relatively low-key until recre- ational marijuana use became legal in 2015. Now massive commercial operations have sprung up throughout the community, drawing concerns over increased traffic, fences that stretch for hundreds of feet, semi-trucks racing down rural roads and large green- houses with bright lights and loud fans. Those who moved to Williams for the peace and quiet say their lifestyle has been threatened by dummy corporations buying up large tracts of land, making it diffi- cult to determine who the real owners are, Johnson said. Johnson’s 40,000 square- foot operation on Williams Highway has worked with the state to avoid installing the opaque fencing that annoys so many neighbors. “You can’t do it with less impact than this type of oper- ation,” he said. “Most of the frustration in the community Enjoy a Passion Orange-Guava-Sangria and a quick lunch on our shaded patio or in our air-conditioned 541-549-RIBS SistersSaloon.net comes from the big green- house operations.” Williams sits in the middle of Oregon’s largest pot grow- ing region. Jackson County has most marijuana producers of any county in the state at 299, according to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which regulates the recre- ation marijuana industry. In Josephine County, where Williams is located, there are 213, the second highest in the state. Together the two counties have 512 producers, accounting for nearly one- third of the 1,535 licensed operations in Oregon. There are 11 licensed recreational grow sites in Williams, with 12 more pro- posed, the OLCC said. To illustrate Williams’ longtime acceptance of marijuana, the area in 2011 had 400 reg- istered medical marijuana growers out of a population of 2,000, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Fineberg said the morato- rium is not intended to stop recreational grows. “Our goal is simple,” said Fineberg, who is not a grower. “Our goal is to protect our community.” Community members, who’ve been airing their concerns and seeking solu- tions for weeks, are drafting a ballot initiative asking vot- ers in the Williams ZIP code whether they want a morato- rium on activities associated with new large-scale mari- juana grows. If the initiative passes with 66 percent of the vote, organizers hope it will persuade Josephine County commissioners to adopt the moratorium for their unincor- porated community. Then the community and county officials could draft regulations limiting activities that threaten the rural nature of Williams. She said the regulations would apply only to Williams and only for any future operations. Drafting the language for the proposed moratorium has been more complex than Fineberg and others expected. She said she’s put in 20 hours a week for nine months. While the list of unwanted activities hasn’t been com- pletely fleshed out, control- ling light and noise from greenhouses are two issues that likely will be included in the moratorium. Because most of Williams supports recreational canna- bis, Fineberg said the morato- rium has to be carefully writ- ten to avoid more conflicts. A brochure of best prac- tices for cannabis growers is being distributed in the com- munity to inform newcomers how they can avoid problems that might bother neighbors, including loud fans, light pol- lution, use of pesticides, ero- sion, setbacks, traffic, visual impacts and more. “Every time we go out, we see another fence,” said See MARIJUANA on page 25 The average adult is MISSING AT LEAST 2 TEETH Sisters Denture can help... SISTERS DENTURE Free consultations! 541-549-0929 36 YEARS EXPERIENCE | LOCALLY OWNED Find the RIGHT one, FAST 190 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters pome see our new Midwest Fastener display. The huge selection of screws, nuts, bolts, washers and fasteners is organized so you can fi nd the part you need, fast! Bring your physical therapy prescription to us! 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