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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2015)
OPINION 4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015 Legal pot brings business our way M y lunch companion¶s face darkened Zhen I told him about the tZo pages of marijuana advertising that Zould appear in this Zeek¶s issue of Coast Weekend. “I don¶t like it,” he said. “What?” I asked. Oregon¶s legalization of marijuana, he Steve said. Forrester I reminded my friend that our editorial page opposed the marijuana ballot initia- tive. But Oregon voters agreed to it, and here it is. Our company is treating marijuana dispensaries like other legal businesses and Zill accept advertising for the products they offer. The legalization of marijuana is a major cultural shift. It is also the creation of an economic sector that Zill use resources such as energy and Zater, and pay property and income taxes. Oregon is entering the marijuana game on the heels of Col- orado and Washington. Across the river from Astoria, in 3aci¿c County, there are major groZ operations in 5aymond. 6eeing those massive facilities, Matt Winters, publisher of the Chinook Observer, called that part of his county “the 6audi Arabia of pot.” Winters noted that the 3ort of Willapa +arbor — site of the neZ groZ operation — Zas on the edge of insolvency. NoZ the 3ort is looking for every scrap of land it can ¿nd. Marijuana has become a turnaround for the 3ort. The surrounding communities of 5aymond and 6outh Bend are in the midst of an economic rebound that Zas unimaginable during the long timber-industry doZnturn. +ere on the south side of the Columbia 5iver, there is an expectation that marijuana Zill contribute $10. million to Or- egon¶s tax coffers. T o the surprise of many, marijuana is noZ legitimate. It is sold in storefronts. Economists Zill surely track the path of the neZ marijuana sector. If economic history is any guide, there Zill be a period of shakeout, in Zhich some distributors drop out and there is con- solidation. Many marijuana entrepreneurs have gone into business Zith the expectation of a big payoff. While privately held, these busi- nesses are the equivalent of an initial public offering, in Zhich investors hope to ride a company¶s value as it climbs. 6ometimes the prospect of a big payout comes true, sometimes not. Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian Lauren Silberman, 29, hangs marijuana after harvesting at Michael Monarch’s southern Oregon marijuana grow, Oct. 13. Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian Like it or not, marijuana is a big new factor in our region’s and state’s economy. Also taking shape is laZ enforcement¶s role. Even though it is legal to purchase and possess marijuana, driving under the inÀu- ence of cannabis is not. If you drive Oregon¶s major highZays, you¶ll notice a neZ billboard Zhose message is: 'oobie equals 'UII. One of the abiding questions about marijuana legalization is Zhether it Zill diminish the presence of the Mexican cartel that has dominated illegal sales. That Zas a hope expressed by the pot initiative¶s supporters. On a recent morning, the plants at Michael Monarch’s grow, about 100 in all, towered under breathtaking vistas of the Cascade and Siskiyou mountains. Plastic netting helped suspend flower-laden branches, keeping them from drooping too low. W hen our culture shifts, it can be dif¿cult for many Zho feel ignored, outraged or left behind. There is an element of that as some Oregonians Zake up to the fact that marijuana legalization is becoming a real, physical aspect in many of our cities and toZns. The neZ pot laZs are not equivalent Zith same-sex marriage, but a similar phenomenon may be observed in Americans Zho re- sist the reality of the 6upreme Court¶s decision that opened the Zay for gays to marry. Writing in Tuesday¶s Washington Post, Michael Gerson urges fundamentalist Christians to recognize that the Zorld is not coming to an end. — S.A.F. Open forum Money better spent T he letter in support of building a $1.8 billion methanol production plant near Clatskanie cited three rea- sons in favor (“Yes to methanol,” The Daily Astorian, 2ct. . 7he ¿rst Zas jobs: An estimated 200 permanent fam- il\-Zage jobs Zould be created. That sounds good until you realize hoZ feZ 200 jobs is compared to the huge sum invested. Imagine if instead of building one huge, stinky, loud, toxic chemical plant, oZned by foreign in- vestors, in the middle of a Zonderful loZer Columbia 5iver community, the $1.8 billion Zas divided up into one thousand $1.8 million loans to qualify- ing local businesses Zanting to expand or start up. If each of those 1,000 busi- nesses added just one neZ employee, that equates to 1,000 jobs, ¿ve times the number this toxic monstrosity Zould create. The second argument praises the smaller amount of carbon dioxide produced by the methanolization pro- cess. But carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere by humans is causing our planet to heat up and oceans to acidi- fy Zeather patterns and ocean currents are changing ² more frequent Àoods, droughts, and heat-Zaves are evident and costly. (ven if Ze curtail our car- bon dioxide emissions today, the atmo- spheric concentration Zould not return to pre-industrial levels for hundreds of years. Our local economy and the glob- al environment Zill both bene¿t if Ze stop investing in or building carbon-ex- traction based businesses, regardless of the rosy descriptions used to pitch them. The third argument — that there are strong environmental revieZ and regu- lations to protect the Columbia region — ignores the reality of the process so fully revealed by the past 10 years of legal maneuvrings by Oregon LNG for their project in Warrenton, and the unmitigated support for it by the Fed- eral (nergy 5egulatory Commission (F(5C. +undreds of residents¶ opin- ions Zere tossed aside in favor of big international money. 5ather than sinking $1.8 billion in one carbon dioxide-based energy/ chemical project, the community can better protect property values, job secu- rity, diversity of employment choices, and a clean environment by encourag- ing neZ start-ups and the expansion of many existing small businesses. C+5I6TO3+(5 FA55A5 Astoria Good job, Gearhart R eal estate promoters can noZ set higher prices and Zin bigger com- missions for selling homes in Gearhart and 6easide that can be rented out on a short-term (Zeekend, more or less basis. As the neZ absentee homeoZner makes his investment “pay for itself,” he could care less about the peace and safety of the neighborhood noZ endur- ing incessant noise and traf¿c conges- tion. This has been something neZ for Gearhart, Zhere family groups and their friends have usually taken turns occupying vacation houses oZned communally by their oZn relatives. Those groups, identi¿ed Zith a particu- lar family, normally act responsibly and Zith consideration for the permanent residents in their midst. 0utual respect betZeen Gearhart¶s permanent and seasonal residents is part of the character of the community, and has long been associated Zith the quality of life Ze enjoy in Gearhart. The groZing number of neZ absentee rentals has shattered that venerable tra- dition. The Gearhart Comprehensive 3lan foresaZ the problem a generation ago: it clearly states, under “5esidential 'e- velopment 3olicies,” that “The city Zill recognize the importance of the city¶s residential neighborhoods and the need to protect them from the negative im- pacts of the transient rental of property, and to discourage increased levels of traf¿c and similar disruptions.” Immediately folloZing that policy is a statement of “Commercial 'evelop- ment 3olicies” to “limit commercial ac- tivity,” “prevent the city from becoming a tourist destination,” and limit com- mercial development to Zhat “supports the needs of the residents of Gearhart,” ending Zith a declaration that “The city shall not designate additional property for commercial development.” Can anyone deny that short-term rental is commercial activity" 'oesn¶t the property oZner derive income from that activity? And, if a businessperson can noZ suddenly make the specious claim that providing a historic setting for Zeddings is a form of short-term rental, then surely the real short-term rentals must be seen as business activ- ity, and subject to city regulation and limitation. Unfortunately, the ordinances im- plementing those Comprehensive 3lan policies have not yet been enacted. Better late than never, the city council is noZ busy Zith such an ordinance, drafting it Zith careful comparison to ordinances successfully enacted by oth- er cities. Three cheers for the Gearhart City Council, and three cheers for Mayor 'ianne Widdop for appointing 3auli- na Cockrum, a seasoned and effective planner, to the City Council to replace the much-missed -ohn 'uncan. This Zas a signi¿cant appointment that Zent unreported in The Daily Astorian. With Ms. Cockrum¶s help, the city Zill soon have the legal means to rescue Gear- hart¶s ancient tradition. BILL B(5G .(NT 6MIT+ Gearhart Not concerned T he Astoria City Council this Zeek Zas presented Zith a legitimate de- velopment project for affordable hous- ing. A small project in size, but four units to help alleviate the current lack of housing situation Astoria is gripped by. It required the city to sell an un- buildable lot. The protests Zere high. Neighbors angry, Zanting to buy the lot for their gardens or green space. Mean- Zhile, there¶s up to a year-long Zait for a tZo bedroom apartment here in toZn. 9acation 5entals by OZner (95BO and Airbnbs are taking over Zhere year-round tenants need housing. My question to the city is this: A cityZide study on affordable housing this evening Zas approved, Zith the broad strokes of “check hoZ many empty houses you can ¿nd.” The coun- cil voted to also “do a study on Airbnb” Zhile they¶re at it. Everyone on the council expressed their concern during that discussion, “yes, Ze must do something ... Ze¶re at a crisis here,” and yet Zhen a develop- er stood in front of council Zith a plan, funding and an outline mapped out, the council choose instead to vote not to sell the city property to a developer, but maybe Zait for a couple of years for the city to count up all those empty houses. The city doesn¶t Zant to encourage development of affordable housing, they Zant to study affordable housing. Councilor Cindy 3rice said it best to- Zards the end, that she¶d like to see the city sell this lot for more money, and have someone build a really nice house on it. My ansZer: That Zould cost $300,000 to build. Which is not afford- able housing. 'IANA .I5. 3ortland STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher • LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager • CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager • DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager Founded in 1873
