Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Page A-3
U.S. officials investigating Oregon marijuana operation
Andrew Selsky
Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Federal
officials are investigating a
marijuana processing facility in
Oregon after an explosion there
injured a man who was previously
convicted in a money laundering
operation linked to pot-trafficking.
The probe is a fairly rare
instance in which U.S. officials are
investigating a marijuana case in
a state where pot is legal. Federal
enforcement of U.S. laws that
ban possession and distribution of
marijuana is restricted by the U.S.
Justice Department, but is permitted
when marijuana is being distributed
to other states and in a few other
situations.
Police in Cottage Grove, a
town of 10,000, called on the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration
for help after fire officials found
hundreds of marijuana plants
growing inside the building where
the explosion occurred on Nov. 16.
The explosion burned a man who
was on parole after serving a 90-day
sentence in the money laundering
operation, The Register-Guard, a
newspaper in the nearby city of
Eugene, reported.
“We have a large amount of
marijuana grows,” Capt. Doug
Skaggs of the Cottage Grove Police
Department said in a telephone
interview. “We’re not different than
everyone else (in Oregon).”
Skaggs said that due to
manpower issues, the police
department often liaises with the
DEA.
A report by The Associated
Press in August showed that large
amounts of marijuana are being
smuggled out of Oregon, although
what percent of the tons grown
in the state is trafficked is hotly
debated. Local law enforcement
in Oregon is often too strapped
for personnel and funds, and is
busy with other investigations and
mindful of restrictions against
searches without cause, to figure out
which grows are registered and legal
and which are illegal.
When DEA agent Sean
Cummings got a warrant the day
after the explosion and searched
the building, he found 728 growing
pot plants, 544 kilograms (1,200
pounds) of marijuana, and marijuana
BAN
...
Continued from A-1
Although the production of cannabis is
banned on RR properties 5 acres or less, the
ordinance now has provisions for a variance
process which would, in theory, grant banned
RR permission to cultivate commercial cannabis
should they be able to prove on a case by case
basis that they wouldn’t interfere with neighbors.
The specific rules for such a variance process
have not yet been determined and would have
to be constructed by the commissioners after
the passage of the ordinance. “I was determined
to come here today and challenge the five acre
minimum portion but the reason I have not done
that is because I believe the variance process will
meet that need,” Morgan said.
Farm & Agricultural Rights Management
(FARM), which is a group of Josephine County
cannabis farmer’s intent on fighting the ordinance
should it be approved, was not so optimistic.
“The variance process is a sham,” FARM’s
land use lawyer Ross Day said, “You guys
are saying that the variance process applies. It
doesn’t. You’re misrepresenting what a variance
extracts, according to federal court
documents. That address was not
authorized by Oregon authorities to
grow or process marijuana, the court
documents say.
Eric Scully, who was burned
on the face and hands in the
explosion which was apparently
caused by combustible materials
used to make marijuana oil, had
been on parole after accepting a plea
agreement in federal court last year.
Investigators say he had shipped
marijuana grown in Oregon via
the mail to states where it remains
illegal. Cottage Grove is also next to
Interstate 5, a major drug-trafficking
route.
Scully and two co-defendants
in that money-laundering case
earned over $1 million, authorities
alleged. A coffee kiosk, Blac Sheep
Coffee, that Scully owned was used
to launder the proceeds.
U.S. Attorney Billy Williams
had recommended imprisonment
of 21 months, followed by three
years of supervised release. In the
end, Scully got 90 days, had to pay
restitution of $4,800 and forfeited
several rifles and pistols and four
expensive Swiss watches, among
is and how it acts.” Day further added that if
the ordinance passes he’s been instructed by his
clients to immediately file an appeal with the
Land Use Board of Appeals and informed the
commissioners that they will also suffer several
lawsuits in the circuit court.
Because the ordinance requires cannabis
production sites on RR land to submit to annual
inspections, it may be, in its current form,
violating Section 42 of Measure 91. “State has
exclusive right to tax marijuana. No county or
city of this state shall impose any fee or tax,
including occupation taxes, privilege taxes and
inspection fees, in connection with the purchase,
sale, production, processing, transportation and
delivery of marijuana items.” Morgan however
disputes this claim. “The State legislators have
changed most of the marijuana regulations
since measure 91 passage. The current state law
overrides the measure. Also, other businesses
in rural residential zones have to have home
occupation permits that are renewable annually.
This is consistent with that.” According to the
Josephine County Community Development
Fee document, the county intends to charge $20
a plant, to a maximum of $200 on RR parcels 1
acre and less, $400 on parcels less than 10 acres
other items.
After the illegal grow
operation was discovered
last month, local prosecutors
declined to pursue the
matter, according to the
federal documents. The
district attorney’s office in
Lane County, where Cottage
Grove is located, did not
immediately return a call from
AP.
Kevin Sonoff,
spokesman for the U.S.
Attorney’s office in Portland,
said he cannot comment on
active investigations.
Williams, the U.S.
attorney, told AP in an
interview earlier this year that
he wanted local jurisdictions
to request help from his office,
which has prosecutors who
specialize in drug cases, to
“work in partnerships with
us to address these issues
of overproduction and
diversion.”
___
Follow Andrew Selsky
on Twitter at https://twitter.
com/andrewselsky
and $500 on properties greater than 10 acres.
Finally, the ordinance mandates that all
cannabis production sites on RR land, along with
all structures associated with cannabis production,
must be setback 100 feet from all property
lines. Legally permitted structures already in
existence and in violation of the setback will be
grandfathered in. Cannabis production buildings
under the proposed ordinance must be fitted with
a carbon filtration system or other equivalent
odor control system. Furthermore, work at the
site will only be permitted from dawn to dusk and
sustained noise from mechanical equipment at
night would not be able to exceed 30 decibels as
measured at the site’s property lines.
Thirty decibels is equivalent to the volume of a
whisper.
Morgan said that her primary reasons for
delaying the passage of the ordinance was to
review the proposed rules on noise and to talk
with county legal. After the footage was twice
reviewed, public commenters appeared to be at
an almost even split, with those against the ban in
a slight majority.
To read the ordinance in full, it can be found
on the Josephine County webpage under the
Board of County Commissioners tab.
FISH
...
Continued from A-1
During the late summer
months of August and
September Wright said that the
lake’s water begins to heat up
because of the lakes relative
shallowness. The temperature
increase typically results in an
annual blue-green algae bloom
during which time people are
instructed not to swim in the
lake due to algae’s potentially
neurotoxic effect on humans.
However, this year the Parks
Department issued no such
warning. “We did see some
blooms starting but not to
the degree that we’ve seen
in previous years,” Wright
concluded.
Wright reported that
the dam is very close to
completion and expects that
Lakeshore Drive will be
reopened sometime this week.
Additionally, Wright said that
the pedestrian bridge over by
Eagle Loop, which was torn
out two to three years ago, is
also nearing completion.
With the dam nearly
finished, the Parks Department
is considering other projects.
Because the lake is constantly
being filled up with dirt and
other sediment from the
streams that flow into it, the
most popular request from
members of the community
is to dredge out the lake so as
to restore its depth. Dredging
the lake, which was something
done every year possibly up to
the late 90s, will prevent the
overabundance of lake weeds
and help to prevent blue-green
algae blooms.
“We would love to deepen
the lake…” Wright said, “but
in order to do that, as you
can imagine, there’s a lot of
different entities that have to
give us permits…” Because the
Parks Department is entirely
self-funded and doesn’t have a
lot of money for improvements,
Wright is investigating whether
or not grant money could be
acquired to pay for the project.
Monday-Sunday: 6aM-8pM
The
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HUMP DAY KARAOKE
w/ Jammer & Birdy
8-midnight
OPEN MIC W/ B
F r i d a y, D e c . 8
@ 5:30
Thursdays @ 7
from
Over the Moon
Holiday Blues Party
Taylor’s
Country Store
Phil Newton & Dave Pin sky
Sat. Dec. 9, 8-11
KARAOKE
w/ Steve- OH
Tim Mitchell
Saturday the 9th @ 6 PM
Every Wednesday
Open MIC Night
6 - 8 p.m.
J Barley
Fridays @ 6 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 8 @ 9 p.m
Saturday Pool Tourney @ 8
Sunday night is FREE pool!
Sportsman
Tavern
Art’s Red
Garter
Check out dinner
specials from
4-8 p.m.
Rosie Wittman
Ugly Christmas
Sweater Party
Friday, Dec. 8
8 p.m. Free
DJ Lay’D Beatz
KARAOKE
Wed & Sun nights
DJ - Fri & Sat nights
@
McGrew’s!