As local law enforcement makes one illegal marijuana bust after another they’re also finding human victims at the grow sites themselves. Law enforcement has confirmed much of the illegal cannabis activity in our region is from international cartels. But it’s not just the plants, money, and weapons that local, state, and federal officials are after.

It’s a plant that makes a lot of profit. But it also has a dark side. We’re talking marijuana and it’s not the legal kind.

“As the number of these operations has grown, the number of workers has grown as well, which increases the propensity for this to take place,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer. SAC Hammer oversees the Homeland Security Investigations operations in the Pacific Northwest.

Hemp compounds identified by Oregon State University research via a chemical screening technique invented at OSU show the ability to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering human cells.

Findings of the study led by Richard van Breemen, a researcher with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute, were published today in the Journal of Natural Products.

Hemp, known scientifically as Cannabis sativa, is a source of fiber, food and animal feed, and multiple hemp extracts and compounds are added to cosmetics, body lotions, dietary supplements and food, van Breemen said.

As of Jan. 1, Oregonians can legally purchase up to two ounces of cannabis flower from licensed retailers, NORML reports.  In a Dec. 28 meeting, Oregon's Liquor and Cannabis Commission approved new rules, including doubling how much marijuana customers can purchase and giving the green light to home delivery across city and county lines, among other issues. (Click here for Benzinga article.)

The new provisions are expected to help streamline oversight of the industry, reduce violence and help keep children from accessing hemp products containing THC, the agency said.

Armed men in pickup trucks rule over vast illicit industry that has transformed rural counties, depleting water and scaring locals

Christopher Hall parks his old Toyota on a dirt road that dead-ends in a forest in Oregon’s Illinois Valley. He points out a cluster of greenhouses surrounded by piles of trash, and the hillside above, which has been terraced and entirely stripped of vegetation. Guard dogs run through a small clearing, barking at us.

The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission has spent the last 18 months crafting new rules to improve the state’s cannabis industry.

The OLCC announced in a December 28 press release that it would be implementing new cannabis rules that will take effect between 2022 and 2023. Steve Marks, OLCC executive director, addressed the need for these changes, expressing the desired outcome after the changes go live. 

“These rules try to balance a number of different concerns—consumer health and safety, interests of small and large operators in our industry and public safety concerns around loopholes in the Federal Farm Bill of 2018, and the illicit farm production taking place in Oregon,” Marks said. 

The Oregon Legislature has dedicated $25 million to combat the proliferation of illegal marijuana farms in Oregon

Theft of water during a drought. The exploitation of immigrant laborers. Intimidation of residents by armed criminals.

A Democratic state senator from southern Oregon said his region, awash in illegal marijuana farms that are protected by gunmen, is starting to look more like a failed state.

After hearing him and others testify this week, the Oregon Legislature dedicated $25 million to help police, sheriff’s offices and community organizations pay for the ballooning costs of cracking down on the thousands of industrial-scale, illegal cannabis farms. Residents said the assistance is welcome but not enough.

Last month, Shango continued its battle against breast cancer armed with generous donations from the company, its customers and its employees in three states. Shango began supporting breast cancer charities five years ago at its dispensary in Portland, Oregon, and has since expanded its fundraising efforts to communities in Nevada and California.

“Shango believes in building long-term relationships with purposeful local charities,” said Shango Controller Julie Dubocq. “

We seek out charities in the same communities as our dispensaries. This helps us get to know the people who work for each charity and become directly involved in its mission and fundraising.”

"Legalization may contribute to an environment that positively affects police officers’ performance in solving serious crimes."

Police solved more violent crimes in Oregon after cannabis was legalized, states a new study from The International Journal of Drug Policy.