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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2016)
Page A-8 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, July 20, 2016 Green Revolution: by Robert Hirning PRICES gOOD: JULy 22 - JULy 24 seedless 2 lbs. Watermelon strawberries $ $ 4.99 eACH 5.99 eACH Have you noticed lately that there are some new folks in town? It’s been a long time, probably since the hippies arrived in the early 1970s, since we’ve seen a large influx of active young people here in the Valley and it is no secret that the cannabis industry is flourishing like a 21st century gold rush. Whether it will sustain or not depends on a multitude of factors, but 20 yard dump trucks of fortified topsoil rumbling down country roads, overflow parking at the building and garden supply houses and late model pick-ups, driven by 20 something year olds, hauling everything from Kabodas to fencing, attest to some big changes around here. If this change is a positive development depends on who is looking at it and from what perspective. A person who has never been involved in the local pot culture, and taught for generations that the marijuana leaf is as evil a symbol as the swastika, then it is only logical to look with horror at a recreational industry that produces wealth from people getting high legally. On the other hand, business entrepreneurs, who may or may not have been regular users or underground producers in the past, welcome legalization with open arms as a new source of cash in a moribund local economy. Few people, if any, remember alcohol prohibition from 1920 to 1932, but the same sequence of events evolved through that period as with cannabis today. For example, during prohibition one of the first steps to loosening things up was to allow “medical alcohol”; has a ring to it doesn’t it. Prohibition also brought crime into the picture as moonshiners, bootleggers and speakeasies filled the gap in America’s thirst for whiskey, beer, wine and gin. The morality of whether people had a right to get high, at the heart of the wet/dry debate, got lost when alcohol consumption actually increased after 1920. What happened as a result of the prohibition experiment was that after 1932 the states became involved for the first time with tough regulations and, most of all, taxes. Before prohibition there had been little alcohol regulation of any kind and booze was only taxed on a federal level. In fact, the Federal Income Tax was instituted after prohibition came in to make up for the loss of revenue from now banned alcohol. This little historical view may give us some insight as to what to expect from this whole new world of legal pot. The state, through voter initiative and referendum, has decided that getting high isn’t all that morally reprehensible after all and should be regulated and taxed. Medical Marijuana, as everyone TALES ... 18 oz. Apricots Blueberries $ 3.99 $ 4.49 eACH Per POunD northwest California California Cherries Peaches nectarines $ 3.99 Per POunD $ 2.79 Per POunD knows has been extremely helpful to many patients but, in reality, it is often a scam to grow legally and then sell on the black market. Since medical’s inception in the late 1990s, no taxes were collected and continually shifting regulations were enforced unevenly. Workers were never covered as employees and often forced to take the rap for others. Whether being paid in pounds, not being paid at all or not covered for injuries, and certainly not able to draw unemployment or pay into Social Security, the workers in the underground cannabis industry have often been exploited by being enticed into short-term gains without the protection of labor standards. So let us welcome the new taxes and regulations and applaud the growers who apply for licenses to become legitimate businesses. Complaints about odor, water consumption, and cutting of timber may be for the large part red herrings and sour grapes. These complainers seem silent on diesel fumes coming off the street into their front yards or the massive 3,000 acres of clearcuts the Forest Service let, each year in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, on the I.V. District alone. Water is an issue everywhere in the west but pot farming uses very little in comparison to alfalfa and water rights are addressed in the licensing process. Another part of this rationalizing process for what has been for years and underground industry, is for cannabis farmers to start paying into the wider society and quit buying fancy rigs, motor cycles, and expensive vacations without contributing their fair share. And they will when the system ramps up. No longer will the cops have to come out to bust a grow with guns blazing. Now an audit and tax lien will seize the property and result in heavy fines without the messiness of court trials and overflowing prisons. Legitimate businesses pay payroll and quarterly self employment taxes; being in the cannabis industry doesn’t excuse anyone now that it is all legal and reportable. So let us embrace the Green Revolution and welcome it as a new legitimate, and potentially responsible, industry into our valley. Our State of Jefferson neighbors to the south in Siskiyou County, California just shot themselves in both feet by outlawing any and all outdoor pot growing. Unfortunately those narrow-minded voters, just like the alcohol prohibitionists who to this day maintain dry counties and towns back East, will only drive a profitable business elsewhere in their continuing pursuit of morality. Saturday, July 16 Continued from A-7 *Law enforcement made the rounds of the Divers Hole River Access at 4:16 p.m. *A California driver was cited for failure to carry proof of insurance during a traffic stop at the Store Gulch Campground at 4:34. He was also warned for no seatbelt and failure to carry proof of registration. *There were no other details provided regarding an incident at milepost two on the Illinois River Road at 5:16 p.m. Outside the Valley *Thirty-five log listings. *Law enforcement was in pursuit of a black Mitsubishi that was flying down Airport Drive, doing 76 mph in a 55 mph zone. The maniac cut a car off at 11:30 a.m., but they lost the vehicle at the end of the road. *JCSO assisted OSP on Airport Road at 12:27 p.m. *Donevin S. Maloney, 28, was detained in Josephine County Jail on a $50,000 bail warrant for failure to appear after his arrest in the 800 block of Airport Drive at 12:38 p.m. The original charges were first-degree criminal trespass and second- degree criminal mischief. An additional charge of possession was the result of a consent search. His bud Justine Farr was federally cited by the U.S. Forest Service officer for possession of marijuana. *An angry woman was yelling at 3:53 p.m. because her guy had the, ahem, audacity to bring another woman into her house in the 28000 block of Redwood Hwy. He was breaking things and trashing her house, then asking for her forgiveness. To make matters worse, as the chump tried to leave, a cat fell out of his Hyundai Tiburon. No crime was committed though. Outside the Valley * Twenty-six log items. Illinois Valley Lions 44th Annual - LABOR DAY FESTIVAL September 3, 4, 5, 2016 Jubilee Park, Cave Junction, Oregon THEME: “On the Edge of the Wild” $ 2.79 Per POunD BOOTH PARTICIPATION ENTRY FORM There will be NO Raffles allowed Check Those that Apply: large mangos 5 for $ 5 Cantaloupe 2 for $ 4 Hass Avocados 2 for $ 3 O Business/Individuals O Non-Profit Organization O Food Provider Josephine Co Health Dept. Permit Required O Electricity………………………………. $5.00 usage fee (see below) Electricity is available on a limited basis for a fee of $5.00 per vendor. Vendors must furnish UL approved cord of appropriate size and length. Pop-ups, tents, etc. must be fire retardant and approved fire extinguishers must be provided if preparing hot foods. Name of Organization________________________________________________Phone:__________________________ Contact Person: ____________________________________________________Primary Phone: ____________________ Mailing Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________ City: _____________________________________________________________ State _____ red & Green Grapes $ 1.79 Per POunD Zip _________________ Booth Description and Items: (i.e. Pop Up, Trailer, Tent, Game, Food Booth, Jewelry, Clothing, what items you will be displaying and or selling) __________________________________________________________________________________________________ sweet Yellow & White Corn 5 for $ 3 WHILE SUPPLIES LAST LIMITED TO STOCK ON HAND NO RAINCHECKS O Yes I will donate an item for the Lion’s Auction __________________________________________________ Item________________________________________ Booth Total Size When Completely Set Up: _______x________ O Yes I will donate 1 hour of my time helping in the Electricity requested: { Yes { No Lions Hamburger booth (Day and time?) ___________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ To reserve booths: Please pay in advance: $75 for 3 days or $30 per day for 12’ x 12’ space. Booth Chairman: David Anderson 541-597-4486 Leave name, phone & address on voicemail. Make checks payable to IV Lions with booth entries to: IV Lions • PO Box 796 • Selma, OR 97538 Waiver (must be signed) The parties to this agreement jointly hold each other harmless and waive all rights of subrogation regarding any and all liability for bodily injury and Property Damage that may occur during and connected to the Labor Day Festival event. Participant Signature: ___________________________________________________Date:________________________ All entries are subject to the approval of the IV Lions Booth Chairman. All information must be completed in order for your entry to be considered official. Mail booth entries to: IV Lions • PO Box 796 • Selma, OR 97538
