20 Summer 2014 Applegater
Legal marijuana in southern Oregon:
now and later
by hAlEy mAy
In the spirit of this issue’s theme of
“environment, fire and recreation,” I’ll
begin this article about marijuana in the
Applegate with the question: How does
the growing of legal marijuana affect the
environment in the Applegate area? For
more information about this, I talked to
Laird Funk, a long-time political activist in
Williams, who has extensive knowledge of
cannabis and its laws in Oregon.
It’s the illegal growers, Laird explained,
who employ worrisome practices like
the use of pesticides, herbicides and rat
poison because folks who are growing
illegally are probably doing it for the
money and want to get the most product
they can, using nonorganic means to
proliferate their crop. Perhaps this is the
situation Jakob Shockey was writing
about last winter in his Applegater article,
“Poisoned marijuana grows are silencing
our forests.” According to Laird, “Legal
growers are growing organically in this
area and have zero negative impact on the
environment,” though he says some may
be using fertilizers like 13-13-13 (known
as triple 13).
In November 1998, Oregon
voters passed the Oregon
Medical Marijuana Act allowing for
the cultivation, possession and use of
marijuana prescribed by a doctor. The Act
does not affect federal law, which prohibits
cultivation and possession, but this doesn’t
prevent about 11,400 people in Josephine
and Jackson counties from using medical
marijuana. All of that cannabis needs to
grow somewhere, probably in the country
as opposed to town.
Patients can grow for
themselves or get their medicine from
a licensed grower or caregiver. Caregivers
can grow, transport, buy from growers on
behalf of patients and do any other needed
task surrounding medical marijuana
without prosecution. Growers simply
grow, for no more than four patients at a
time, and may possess no more than six
mature plants, 18 seedlings under 12’’, or
24 ounces of usable marijuana at one time.
(This also goes for caregivers who grow.)
A typical plant produces one-half to one
pound of marijuana.
We can’t track how many acres are
used for illegal marijuana, of course, and
so we can’t regulate the use of pesticides,
rat poison and herbicides or follow the
contamination of mold or mildew. But
for legal marijuana, House Bill 3460 gives
this job to the dispensaries. This bill,
which went into effect on March 1 of
this year, authorizes the Oregon Health
Authority (OHA) to establish procedures
to license and regulate medical marijuana
dispensaries.
Nonprofit dispensaries are a way of
connecting medical marijuana patients to
the medicine they need for conditions such
as severe migraines, seizures or PTSD (post-
traumatic stress disorder). Dispensaries
also provide growers with a lawful outlet
for surplus marijuana, preventing it from
entering the black market.
At the moment, there are two
issues with this legislation. First,
how will we go about testing for mold,
mildew and pesticides? How often? What
are the standards? What levels of toxins
are acceptable? Second, Senate Bill 1531
allows (though it does not mandate) cities
to ban dispensaries. Ashland and Grants
Pass have such moratoriums in place,
which will last for up to a year.
Problems like these come with the
process of “learning” how to have medical
marijuana in Oregon and make everyone
happy. Hopefully these issues will be
non-permanent and, according to Laird,
we should expect a ballot measure this
November asking for votes for or against
legalizing marijuana as a recreational drug
in Oregon. And, he says, we should expect
it to pass.
Haley May • hmaylmt@gmail.com
Author’s note: Information for this article was
drawn from the Oregon Medical Marijuana
Act (OMMA) website, marijuana-caregiver.
com, southernoregonalternativemedicine.
com, oregon-medical-marijuana-program.
info, the winter 2013 Applegater, and an
interview with local political activist Laird
Funk of Williams.
Summer hikes offered by
Williams Community Forest Project
by jANIS bOgdANOVIch
The Williams Community Forest
Project (WCFP) loves our local forest
ecosystem!
Our backyard woods provide the
Williams community with physical,
emotional and spiritual sustenance. Our
valley’s public and private forest lands
consist of a diverse mix of flora and fauna,
some of which are endemic to the region.
These woodlands of conifers, hardwoods
and brush species, with miles of clear
streams running through them, provide
habitat for myriad species of wildlife and
fish. Our local forest ecosystem provides
clean air and water, miles of recreational
trails to enjoy, and opportunities to
wildcraft the bounty of the forest. The
community’s relationship with the forest
and its species enables a close connection
that is mutually sustaining for all.
WCFP, which is dedicated to
sustaining the ecological balance of the
forest through education, outreach and
advocacy at the local, state and national
levels, is happy to announce its first
summer season hike schedule! Come one,
come all (and leashed dogs). Hope you can
make at least one or all of the hikes.
The following descriptions of the
hikes include length and difficulty. Wear
comfortable walking shoes and be sure to
bring water and snacks. We will meet at
the Williams Grange at 10 am to carpool.
Each hike will happen rain or shine. Maps
of the hikes can be seen on our website
at williamscommunityforestproject.
org. For more information, call Janis
at 541-846-0813 or email info@
williamscommunityforestproject.org.
• June 29
Shooting Star Trail System at
Marble Gulch and White Oak
Difficulty: Moderate with an
elevation gain of 750 feet
Distance: Approximately 4 miles, loop trail
This hike will give you the experience
of a diverse ecological forest with some old
growth. The trail includes Marble Gulch,
home to a marble mine that provided a
block for the Washington Monument.
• July 20
Glade Fork Creek
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 2.5 miles round trip
Hiking opportunities abound in our
mountains. Photo: Pam Sewell.
This beautiful trail offers several creek
crossings, with a combination of shade
and sun.
• August 10
Lower Grayback Mountain Trail
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 3.5-mile loop
Lower Grayback trail is a cool hike
in the summer under a canopy of second-
and old-growth diverse conifers and
hardwoods.
Janis Bogdanovich
Williams Community Forest Project
info@williamscommunityforestproject.com
