The Growing State of Emergency in Oregon: Week in Review

More than half the hemp fields in Jackson County, in southern Oregon, are actually cannabis crops—rich with THC and unlicensed in the eyes of the state. This is a problem, one major node in what Jackson County has declared as a statement of emergency, and it’s captured the attention of the industry more broadly.

We’ve got the link below, but a recent community hearing brought stakeholders together to assess best moves forward.

“Cases are prioritized by fire, life, safety issues, egregious violations, violations that are blatant criminal activity,” supervisor Alicia Brown said of the litany of complaints landing at the county’s feet.

And while the overarching, overwhelming nature of this illicit market development is particularly egregious in Jackson County, it’s not unique to the southwest corner of Oregon. It’s a source of tension for any state wrangling the history of cannabis cultivation into a regulated landscape—and more states are joining the conversation with each passing year.

We’ve rounded up some of the key cannabis headlines from the week right here.

• The New York State Department of Labor recently issued guidance prohibiting New York employers from drug screening most workers for cannabis. Assistant Editor Andriana Ruscitto has the story. Read more 
• Austin-based Hometown Hero sued the state of Texas over its announcement that delta-8 THC products are illegal under Texas law. A judge has since shot down that lawsuit. Read more 
• Tilray is making moves in Europe. Read more 
• Nevada’s Cannabis Compliance Board has extended the deadline for dispensaries to exercise their licenses in order to give operators time to wait out local moratoriums that are keeping their businesses in limbo. Read more 
• Senior Digital Editor Melissa Schiller turns to Montana, which is preparing for the start of adult-use sales in January. Read more 

And elsewhere on the web, here are the stories we’ve been reading this week:

• New York Times: “As most other major economies liberalize their laws on marijuana amid growing evidence of its medical benefits, Japan has doubled down on its hard-line position toward the drug, ramping up arrests and increasing efforts to battle the influx of marijuana-friendly information from abroad with public awareness campaigns and tougher laws.” Read more 
• This Is Reno: The city of Reno, Nev., is considering on-site consumption lounges. Currently, the city has eight dispensaries up and running. Read more 
• Vermont Public Radio: “In about one year — by October 2022 — Vermont's retail cannabis market is scheduled to go into place, and the state's Cannabis Control Board has already made some key decisions that will shape Vermont’s legal marijuana marketplace.” Read more
• Politico: “California’s cannabis market is booming nearly five years after voters legalized recreational weed. But there’s a catch: the vast majority of pot sales are still underground.” Read more 
• Oregon Public Broadcasting: Oregon state and Jackson county officials at a recent community forum cited wage and water theft, and physical and sexual intimidation as just a few of the problems at illegal cannabis operations this summer. This is the latest in a long-running effort to combat a sprawling illicit market in southern Oregon. Read more