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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2017
Marijuana smoking lounges
could be next in Oregon
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Smoking
lounges could still be the next
trend for Oregon’s recreational
marijuana market under a con-
troversial state Senate bill in the
Legislature’s Joint Committee
on Marijuana Regulation.
Proponents say cannabis
smoking lounges would stimu-
late tourism and give renters a
place to legally smoke.
The recreational marijuana
law, passed by voters in 2014,
has created a conundrum for
renters and tourists, proponents
say. The law prohibits public
consumption of marijuana but
allows it in a private residence.
If a landlord prohibits marijuana
use at a rental unit, or if someone
is visiting the state, some renters
and tourists may have no legal
place to consume the drug.
“In reality, this restriction has
made the legal consumption of
cannabis impossible for many
Oregonians who do not own
their primary residence, live
with small children or those who
live in government housing. As
a result, many otherwise respon-
sible adults are left no other
choice but to smoke or vapor-
ize cannabis in public, on side-
walks, in parks, in cars,” said
Sam Chapman, founder of Port-
land-based New Economy Con-
sulting, which advises cannabis
entrepreneurs and investors.
State Sen. Elizabeth Steiner
Hayward, D-Beaverton, testi-
fied that even with marijuana
legalization, minorities have
been prosecuted disproportion-
ately for using marijuana ille-
gally in public. Allowing smok-
ing lounges also would help
address that social injustice, she
said.
Opposition to the bill led to
the formation of a committee
workgroup that tried to address
concerns by public health offi-
cials that the lounges could nor-
malize marijuana smoking for
young people and pollute indoor
air.
The workgroup proposed
changes Tuesday that would
require the lounges to be located
on outdoor patios screened from
public view and would elimi-
nate a provision to allow mem-
bers of the cannabis industry
to obtain licenses to hold tem-
porary events where attendees
could consume cannabis. Cities
and counties also would have to
opt in to allow the licenses for
the lounges.
Despite the concessions, pub-
lic health officials continued to
express their opposition to the bill
during a hearing at the Capitol.
“The harms of secondhand
tobacco smoke are well-known,
and secondhand marijuana
smoke is also harmful,” said
Katrina Hedberg, state health
officer and state epidemiologist
at the Oregon Health Authority.
Like tobacco, marijuana
smoke contains cancer-causing
chemicals and poses a risk to
those exposed to it, she said.
“By allowing for the social
consumption of cannabis, Ore-
gon risks the rollback of years of
progress related to social norms
around smoking,” she said.
Even if smoking areas are
screened, minors will still be
able to smell marijuana smoke
wafting from lounges. She said
studies show that communities
that have hooka lounges have
a higher prevalence of smoking
among youth.
“Social normalization does
affect youth so we are very con-
cerned about that,” she said.
The Capital Bureau is a col-
laboration between EO Media
Group and Pamplin Media
Group.
New public works director for Cannon Beach
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH —
Longtime Cannon Beach res-
ident Jim Arndt is the new
director of public works start-
ing Monday.
Arndt replaces Dan Gras-
sick, who retired at the begin-
ning of May. Arndt has been in
public works for municipalities
in Washington state, Colorado
and California for more than
40 years. He retired from his
most recent post in Manhattan
Beach, California, in 2013, but
decided to come out of retire-
ment to serve a community he
has come to call home.
“I was actually having cof-
fee with my wife when we
saw the article in the Cannon
Beach Gazette about Dan retir-
ing,” Arndt said. “I found that
I missed engineering and this
was a unique opportunity.”
Arndt and his wife have
had a house in Cannon Beach
on and off since 1988, he said.
City
Manager
Brant
Kucera said Arndt stood out
as a candidate because of his
familiarity with the area, as
well as his decades of experi-
ence in public works.
“I think he’s going to be a
great fit,” Kucera said.
Arndt said he liked the fact
the city has adopted a parks
master plan and drafted water
and wastewater master plans.
“I think the city has been
doing a good job looking for-
ward with regards to plan-
ning,” Arndt said. “Not every
city gets that far.”
Arndt said he has
long-standing passion for util-
ity and infrastructure work,
and enjoys the challenge of
communicating why that work
is needed in the community.
Arndt will be taking the
lead as the city considers water
and wastewater master plans
many have deemed controver-
Oregon jobless rate
drops to 3.7 percent
Associated Press
Oregon’s record-low jobless
rate has fallen again.
The state Employment
Department said Tuesday the
unemployment rate for April
was 3.7 percent, a slight drop
from March’s record-low rate of
3.8 percent.
The agency said gains were
widespread among major indus-
tries, with government among
the few sectors to shed jobs.
The unemployment rate at
this time last year was 5 percent.
Over the past year, construction
has been the fastest-growing
industry, followed by transpor-
tation, warehousing and utilities.
Boat captain pleads guilty
to fuel spill in Warrenton
Associated Press
The captain of a Washing-
ton state fishing vessel has
pleaded guilty to violating the
Clean Water Act by allow-
ing a diesel fuel spill from his
ship while docked at the War-
renton Marina last August.
The Emerald Sea spilled
about 150 gallons of fuel into
the Skipanon River, a tribu-
tary of the Columbia River.
Prosecutors said crew
members told Mark Bow-
ers about the mishap when
he arrived at the dock, but
the captain didn’t report it
as required until later con-
fronted by U.S. Coast Guard
investigators.
The Oregonian reported
that Bowers will be sen-
tenced in September. Pros-
ecutors will recommend he
serve five years on probation.
The vessel’s home port is
in Aberdeen, Washington.
sial after a rate study proposed
a 40 percent increase in water
rates to implement it.
For the next fiscal year,
the city has proposed a 3 per-
cent increase to cover oper-
ational costs, but the debate
over whether or not rates need
to be increased in the future is
not over, Kucera said.
“The community is very
active and passionate, and I hope
to work with the council and the
citizens to come to a mutual
agreement that works for the
town,” Arndt said. “I’ve worked
with councils and the commu-
nity for a long time now, and I
hope that experience helps.”
Bill would require disclosure of seismic risk
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
SALEM — The state Sen-
ate has passed a bill 24-5 that
requires property owners to dis-
close seismic risk when selling
a house.
“Currently, a house that was
constructed before 1974 may
not, in fact, be bolted to its foun-
dation,” said state Sen. Rod
Monroe, D-Portland. “Now if
the big one comes, if your house
is not bolted to its foundation,
it’ll slide one way or the other,
break the natural gas lines, elec-
tric cut off, cause fires. It’s a real
danger.”
The bill, passed by the House
of Representatives in late March,
would require property own-
ers who are selling their house
to disclose to the buyer whether
the house was built before 1974
and whether the house has been
secured to its foundation.
“There is no remedy
required. It’s a matter of answer-
ing those two questions,” Mon-
roe said.
The legislation now heads
to Gov. Kate Brown for a
signature.
The bill is one of sev-
eral showing the Legislature’s
increasing focus on preparation
for a major earthquake. Geolo-
gists and seismic experts expect
major seismic activity along the
Cascadia fault line could dev-
astate communities throughout
Oregon, especially along the
state’s coastline.
Much of Oregon’s infra-
structure, such as hospitals,
roads and bridges, remain vul-
nerable to collapse, according to
the 2013 Oregon Seismic Safety
Policy Advisory Commission.
Lawmakers also continue to
approve record amounts of grant
money to reinforce the state’s
schools against collapse.
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