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6A • August 18, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com Sessions has ‘serious questions’ about Oregon’s cannabis market Letter to Brown outlines authority to enforce By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has al- leged that Oregon may be violating the Obama adminis- tration’s requirements to keep marijuana out of the illicit market. Sessions sent a letter to Gov. Kate Brown July 24 reit- erating the Department of Jus- tice’s authority to enforce the federal ban on marijuana and highlighting ways in which Oregon may have failed to comply with the “Cole memo.” The memo, issued in 2013, represents the Obama admin- istration’s policy not to prose- cute the state legalized market provided that the state has a robust regulatory system that prevents leakage of the drug into the illicit market. Thus far, the Trump administration has honored the policy. The attorney general stated that an Oregon State Police re- port in January raised “serious questions about the efficacy of marijuana ‘regulatory struc- tures’” in the state. He added that the Cole memo does not preclude the Department of Justice from investigating or prosecuting violations of the federal prohibition. “Congress has determined that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that the illegal distri- bution and sale of marijuana is a crime,” Sessions wrote. “The department remains committed to enforcing the Controlled Substances Act in a manner that efficiently ap- plies our resources to address the most significant threats to public health and safety.” Sessions, a longtime mar- ijuana foe, did not specify U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has written a letter to Oregon Gov. Kate Brown alleging the state has not done enough to keep its regulated marijuana out of illicit chan- nels. Sessions reiterated his authority to investigate and prosecute violations of federal marijuana laws. how he intended to act on his authority to enforce the ban. Lauren Ehrsam, a Department of Justice spokeswoman, de- clined further comment on the purpose of the letter and the attorney general’s plans to address the concerns outlined in the letter. Brown’s office did not re- spond Tuesday to multiple messages seeking comment on the letter. Sessions wrote almost identical letters to the gov- ernors of Washington state and Colorado, according to a report by Slate on Mon- day. Oregon, Washington state and Colorado represent only three of the eight states that have legalized pot for recreational use, raising the question whether the federal government plans to prioritize its resources toward cracking down on the industry in those three states. Illicit cultivation Only about 30 percent of marijuana market activity in Oregon complies with state regulation, according the Or- egon State Police report. “There is ‘pervasive illic- it cannabis cultivation in the state … (and) a strong indi- cation that surplus cannabis is not discarded, but is in fact trafficked out-of-state and sold for a huge profit mar- gin,’” Sessions wrote, quoting the report. The cost and rate of burn victims from marijuana oil extraction labs and marijua- na-related emergency room visits have spiked since legal- ization, he stated. Meanwhile, underage us- ers represent a majority of cannabis impairment cases on Oregon roadways, according to drug recognition data from 2013 to 2015, he wrote. About 63 percent of Ore- gon adults don’t know wheth- er it’s legal to drive after using pot, he added. A federal task force con- vened to devise a legal strat- egy to enforce the federal ban on cannabis concluded that the Department of Justice should continue the policy of the Obama administration, ac- cording to a Thursday report by The Associated Press. The state Legislature ear- lier this year passed sever- al laws aimed at preventing product leakage into the ille- gal market and fortifying the industry against federal back- lash. For instance, one new law requires medical cannabis producers undergo the same stringent seed-to-sale track- ing of products that the recre- ational industry has been sub- ject to since legal recreational sales began in 2015. Another law orders the creation of a state hotline where authorities can verify whether a grow site is registered or licensed with the local and state govern- ment. “Anything we can do to cut off leakage … would put us in a stronger position” with the federal government, state Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Port- land, co-chairwoman of the legislative marijuana regula- tion committee, said in May. Jobs, tax revenue Oregon’s legal marijuana industry sustains 12,500 jobs and yields a projected $105 million in annual recreational marijuana tax revenue, used to support public education and services, according to a white paper by Rep. Ann Lininger, D-Lake Oswego, who served on the marijuana regulation committee until July. Lininger has resigned from the Legis- lature and is set to be sworn in this month as a Clackamas County Circuit Court judge. Twenty-nine states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico allow cannabis use for medical conditions. Another 17 states permit lim- ited use of cannabidiol, or CBD, the nonpsychoactive element in marijuana. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. SUBMITTED PHOTO Astoria U.S. Bank employees Ashley Camp, Dylan Mitch- ell, Jeremiah Wright; Way to Wellville Strategic Council member Debbie Morrow; and Clatsop Kids Go Coordina- tor Sarah Brown. US Bank supports Clatsop Kids Go U.S. Bank gave a $3,500 grant to The Way to Well- ville’s Clatsop Kids Go program for cultural and ed- ucational activities. The in- school program is designed to help kids develop healthy behaviors and positive atti- tudes around physical activ- ity, nutrition and well-being. The funds will be used to hire a cultural event coordi- nator and for field trips. Last year, students in the program visited the Seaside Museum and Fort Clatsop National Historical Park, where they enjoyed a presentation by Roberta Basch on Native American customs. DINING on the NORTH COAST Great Restaurants in: GEARHART SEASIDE CANNON BEACH Boone, Bonamici discuss energy, environment in Cannon Beach Appearance at Chamber of Commerce breakfast By Brenna Visser Seaside Signal COLIN MURPHEY/THE DAILY ASTORIAN U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici speaks to an audience of the first Community Leaders Commercial Fisheries tour in June. State Rep. Deborah Boone speaks to Cannon Beach resi- dents at the Chamber of Commerce, Aug. 8. BRENNA VISSER/ SEASIDE SIGNAL Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce’s monthly commu- nity breakfast meeting. Bonamici discussed en- vironmental and emergency preparedness-related bills she had worked on this year in Congress, including a marine debris bill that would provide a funding source for research and cleanup. The congresswoman also MAZATLAN M E X I C A N R E S TA U R A N T Phone 503-738-9678 1445 S. 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The test site, funded by the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, was introduced three years ago and faced initial skepticism about impacts to crabbing and fishing industries, as well as ocean aesthetics. So far, Boone said, she has not been made aware of any negative environ- mental impacts. “When we have a Cascadia event, we will not have power. We aren’t talking for three to five weeks — we are thinking three to five years,” Boone said. “So we will be relying on local energy.” Boone, D-Cannon Beach, and U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, dis- cussed legislative priorities and answered questions at the celebrated the bipartisan sup- port for legislation that would help improve weather fore- casts and storm warnings. Bonamici came to Cannon Beach to talk about local is- sues, but also faced questions from the audience on national topics like immigration policy, the Paris climate agreement and what it is like to be in Con- gress during the Trump admin- istration. The Cannon Beach City Council voted recently on a resolution to support the Par- is accord, despite President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw. Mayor Sam Steidel asked Bonamici what kind of impacts small cities could make with resolutions like these. “It’s been heard,” she said, adding that any support helps when she still spends a significant portion of time debating the existence of cli- mate change with some of her House colleagues. Bonamici said she has been seeing record turnout at town hall meetings, often filled with inquiries about “polarization” in Washington, D.C. “There are concerns about the Trump administration on both sides of the aisle,” Bonamici said. “But there are still lots of bipartisan efforts in the House.” WANNA KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO? • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner BEST BREAKFAST IN TOWN! • Lighter appetite menu • Junior Something for Everyone menu Fish ‘n Chips • Burgers • Seafood & Steak Friday & Saturday - Prime Rib Lounge Open Daily 9-Midnight All Oregon Lottery products available 1104 S Holladay • 503-738-9701 • Open Daily at 8am