national
STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion.
DESCHUTES COUNTY SEEKS CANNABIS CRACKDOWN
D
eschutes County, Oregon is trying to crack down on illegal cannabis production by hiring two new enforcement officers. County commissioners also want to limit new legal grows by pausing the processing of applications to grow. The move from the
Deschutes County Commission is one of the latest efforts by conservative counties in Oregon to control an industry they claim is growing too fast. Officials in Josephine County — a prime growing area in southern Oregon — in April went even farther. They sued the state in federal court, asserting state laws are pre-empted by federal marijuana prohibition. The Josephine County Commission in December tried to ban and restrict Cannabis farming on rural residential lots, but the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals put those restrictions on hold. Meanwhile, back in Deschutes County, the sheriff and D.A. are complaining that it’s hard to differentiate between legal and black market marijuana crops. That’s why the Board of Commissioners in April started the process to hire two more members for the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team to focus on Cannabis enforcement. “The new limited duration marijuana enforcement staff would solely focus on marijuana cases, complaints, and compliance,” said Deschutes County official Nick Lelack, reports the Insurance Journal. The new staffers, who will be temporary hires, will likely be a deputy sheriff and a Bend police officer, according to Lelack.
12/May 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHING CANNABIS AND HEALTH
R
esearchers at Washington State University are looking a variety of potential health impacts of Cannabis. Issues being studied include the
effects of marijuana on pregnant women, young people, and those with chronic pain. The scientists are also studying public and professional attitudes toward weed, its relationship to tobacco, and how Cannabis stimulates the appetite. The projects, all of which comply with federal law, were awarded recently by WSU’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program. The work is funded by Washington state Cannabis taxes and liquor license fees. The program is aimed at pilot projects which focus on “drug abuse” in the state. In the last three years, the program has awarded no fewer than 28 Cannabisrelated research grants. “Funding for these pilot grants is essential because it allows us to expand our research at WSU to investigate some of the most pressing questions related to the impact of Cannabis on health,” said Michael McDonnell, associate professor in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. McDonnell chairs WSU’s Committee on Cannabis Research and Outreach. “Pain relief is the most commonly reported medical use of marijuana,” according to the grant abstract. Clinical trials suggest it can being “significant pain relief” and may be safer than opioids. The WSU project is the first to characterize the pain-relieving effects of vaporized marijuana, according to the abstract.