#[1]AP News IFRAME: [2]https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-MCLSCF8 AP NEWS Email: Get AP News stories (BUTTON) Go Listen (BUTTON) Sections * [3]U.S. News * [4]World News * [5]Politics * [6]Sports * [7]Entertainment * [8]Business * [9]Technology * [10]Health * [11]Science * [12]Oddities * [13]Lifestyle * [14]Photography * [15]Videos Listen (BUTTON) Sections 1. [16]AP Top News 2. [17]U.S. News 3. [18]World News[19]Russia-Ukraine war[20]Africa[21]Asia Pacific[22]Australia[23]Europe[24]Latin America[25]Middle East 4. [26]Politics[27]President Biden[28]Congress[29]Supreme Court[30]Election 2023 5. [31]Sports[32]MLB[33]French Open[34]NBA Finals[35]NHL[36]NFL[37]WNBA[38]Soccer[39]Golf 6. [40]Entertainment[41]Film reviews[42]Movies[43]Music[44]Television[45]Fashion 7. [46]Business[47]U.S. economy[48]Financial markets ______________________________________________________________ 8. [49]Videos 9. [50]Technology 10. [51]Health[52]COVID-19 11. More[53]AP Investigations[54]Climate and environment[55]Oddities[56]Photography[57]Travel[58]Science[59]AP Fact Check[60]Lifestyle[61]Religion[62]Press Releases (BUTTON) * [63]Trump indictment * [64]Exclusive Ukranian dam photos * [65]Smoky haze blankets US * [66]GOP cancels Wray contempt vote * [67]Legalizing fentanyl test strips ____________________ (BUTTON) Search https://apnews.com/article/oregon-marijuana-cannabis-illegal ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Click to copy https://apnews.com/article/oregon-marijuana-cannabis-illegal ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Click to copy Related topics * [68]Oregon * [69]Marijuana * [70]Politics * [71]U.S. News * [72]ID State Wire * [73]General News * [74]CA State Wire * [75]OR State Wire * [76]WA State Wire Oregon to crack down on illegal pot growers by holding landowners responsible By ANDREW SELSKYJune 9, 2023 GMT 1 of 3 FiLE - Linda Jincks and her husband Rodger talk with driller Shane Harris as his crew drills a new well for the Jincks at their home in La Pine, Ore., on Aug. 26, 2021. Oregon has long been known as a mecca for high-quality marijuana, but that reputation has come with a downside: illegal growers who offer huge amounts of cash to lease or buy land and then leave behind pollution, garbage and a drained water table. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File) 1 of 3 FiLE - Linda Jincks and her husband Rodger talk with driller Shane Harris as his crew drills a new well for the Jincks at their home in La Pine, Ore., on Aug. 26, 2021. Oregon has long been known as a mecca for high-quality marijuana, but that reputation has come with a downside: illegal growers who offer huge amounts of cash to lease or buy land and then leave behind pollution, garbage and a drained water table. (AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File) SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon has long been known as a mecca for high-quality marijuana, but that reputation has come with a downside: [77]illegal growers who offer huge amounts of cash to lease or buy land and then leave behind pollution, garbage and a drained water table. Now, a bill passed by the Oregon Legislature seeks to tackle that by making the landowners themselves responsible for the aftermath. The bill also prohibits the use of rivers or groundwater at the illegal site, as well as criminalizes seizing the identity papers of migrant workers who tend the plants or threatening to report them for deportation. Under the bill, local governments are authorized to file a claim of lien against property used for illicit marijuana, if the owner doesn’t pay for the cleanup. A leader of the state’s cannabis and alcohol regulatory agency has said southern Oregon is to marijuana what Bordeaux is to wine. But the state faces challenges on two fronts: The regulated industry [78]has a glut of product that has slashed prices and profit margins, and there has been huge growth in illegal pot farms operating under the guise of growing hemp, which became legal nationally in 2018. [79] Politics Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis woos GOP Christian voters but stays tight-lipped on his own Catholic faith Supreme Court voting rights ruling stuns minority voters, who hope it expands their representation Speaker McCarthy eyes new commission to tackle nation's debt, but many Democrats are wary Trump indicted in classified documents case in a historic first for a former president After passing the Senate and House, the House Speaker Dan Rayfield signed the measure Wednesday, over the objections of some Republicans. Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek is expected to sign it next week. “This is just an assault on property rights here in the state of Oregon,” GOP Sen. Dennis Linthicum said on the Senate floor. But Sen. Jeff Golden, of Ashland, said property owners should know something is amiss when they are “approached at the beginning of the growing season with requests to lease their property for tens, sometimes hundreds of thousand dollars for a single year.” Witnesses have described backpacks with thousands of dollars in cash being handed over to landowners and getting numerous offers to buy. “We pay CASH and offer a fast close,” says one letter received by a landowner last year, one of three offers. Jackson County Sheriff Nathan Sickler told lawmakers that after police raid illegal pot farms, neither landowners nor the suspects make efforts to remove the cheaply built greenhouses, known as “hoop houses,” latrines, and other debris, including plastics and chemicals. “Frankly, it’s an eyesore for our community, with no means to deal with it,” Sickler said. Some two years ago, the ideal growing conditions began attracting criminal gangs from Mexico, Russia and other countries, police said. Thousands of hoop houses cropped up and police were overwhelmed, nailing only a fraction of the sites. Workers at these farms often live in squalid conditions and use open latrines, and they are sometimes cheated out of their pay. Due to persistent police raids, which netted over 100 tons of illegal marijuana across the state last year, the grow sites have become smaller and more dispersed. For example, on Thursday, Josephine County Sheriff’s deputies and other officers raided a property in Cave Junction and destroyed about 2,000 marijuana plants and 100 pounds of processed marijuana. Landowners who have been intimidated and suffered environmental damage from illegal grow sites are applauding the bill. “At least most of the landowners knew what they were doing was wrong. I believe this measure will help to stem the tide,” said Jack Dwyer, who has a house near the community of Selma. In 2021, Dwyer said a large illegal grow site nearby siphoned all the water from a creek that runs through his property, causing it to run dry. Christopher Hall, who works to engage the public in water stewardship, said the bill shows that Oregon officials understand the problem of large-scale illicit cannabis operations and are committed to solving it. The illicit sites “not only turn streams into gravel roads but also lead to serious human rights violations and dumping of trash, sewage, chemicals, and other waste into ditches, riparian areas, and streams,” he said. The Senate approved the measure before GOP senators began [80]a walkout on May 3 over Democratic measures on abortion, gender-affirming care and gun safety. The House passed the marijuana bill on a 53-3 vote on May 31. The bill will now go to Kotek to sign into law, taking immediate effect. “The governor supports cracking down on illegal cannabis operations that have been prevalent in southern Oregon,” said Elisabeth Shepard, Kotek’s spokesperson. AP NEWS 1. [81]Top Stories 2. [82]Video 3. [83]Contact Us 4. [84]Accessibility Statement 5. (BUTTON) Cookie Settings Download AP NEWS Connect with the definitive source for global and local news More from AP 1. [85]ap.org 2. [86]AP Insights 3. [87]AP Definitive Source Blog 4. [88]AP Images Spotlight 5. [89]AP Explore 6. [90]AP Books 7. [91]AP Stylebook Follow AP 1. 2. 3. 4. The Associated Press 1. [92]About 2. [93]Contact 3. [94]Customer Support 4. [95]Careers 5. [96]Terms & Conditions 6. [97]Privacy All contents © copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. References Visible links 1. https://apnews.com/OpenSearchDescription.xml 2. https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-MCLSCF8 3. https://apnews.com/hub/us-news 4. https://apnews.com/hub/world-news 5. https://apnews.com/hub/politics 6. https://apnews.com/hub/sports 7. https://apnews.com/hub/entertainment 8. https://apnews.com/hub/business 9. https://apnews.com/hub/technology 10. https://apnews.com/hub/health 11. https://apnews.com/hub/science 12. https://apnews.com/hub/oddities 13. https://apnews.com/hub/lifestyle 14. https://apnews.com/hub/photography 15. https://apnews.com/hub/videos 16. https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-news 17. https://apnews.com/hub/us-news 18. https://apnews.com/hub/world-news 19. https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine 20. https://apnews.com/hub/africa 21. https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific 22. https://apnews.com/hub/australia 23. https://apnews.com/hub/europe 24. https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america 25. https://apnews.com/hub/middle-east 26. https://apnews.com/hub/politics 27. https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden 28. https://apnews.com/hub/united-states-congress 29. https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court 30. https://apnews.com/hub/election-2023 31. https://apnews.com/hub/sports 32. https://apnews.com/hub/mlb 33. https://apnews.com/hub/tennis 34. https://apnews.com/hub/nba 35. https://apnews.com/hub/nhl 36. https://apnews.com/hub/nfl 37. https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball 38. https://apnews.com/hub/soccer 39. https://apnews.com/hub/golf 40. https://apnews.com/hub/entertainment 41. https://apnews.com/hub/film-reviews 42. https://apnews.com/hub/movies 43. https://apnews.com/hub/music 44. https://apnews.com/hub/television 45. https://apnews.com/hub/fashion 46. https://apnews.com/hub/business 47. https://apnews.com/hub/economy 48. https://apnews.com/hub/financial-markets 49. https://apnews.com/hub/videos 50. https://apnews.com/hub/technology 51. https://apnews.com/hub/health 52. https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic 53. https://apnews.com/hub/ap-investigations 54. https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment 55. https://apnews.com/hub/oddities 56. https://apnews.com/hub/photography 57. https://apnews.com/hub/travel 58. https://apnews.com/hub/science 59. https://apnews.com/hub/ap-fact-check 60. https://apnews.com/hub/lifestyle 61. https://apnews.com/hub/religion 62. https://apnews.com/hub/press-releases 63. https://apnews.com/article/trump-florida-grand-jury-classified-documents-5d346c69dfb4f9bc07e6f8adc6aa13bc 64. https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-dam-collapse-drone-photos-video-cd5db301fbd09c054f208c47dd68130f 65. https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-canada-quebec-smoke-new-york-washington-86eb7685c5330c548fd93891fffcfd65 66. https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-congress-comer-oversight-fbi-8d99ff9aa3d309e340547a5c9d4d1fc3 67. https://apnews.com/article/legalization-fentanyl-test-strips-opioid-overdoses-4a23f92b401c667381e84538fe5f1059 68. https://apnews.com/hub/oregon 69. https://apnews.com/hub/marijuana 70. https://apnews.com/hub/politics 71. https://apnews.com/hub/us-news 72. https://apnews.com/hub/id-state-wire 73. https://apnews.com/hub/general-news 74. https://apnews.com/hub/ca-state-wire 75. https://apnews.com/hub/or-state-wire 76. https://apnews.com/hub/wa-state-wire 77. https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-and-nature-oregon-droughts-marijuana-333e813d352fd2343e3adfe4f954e61a 78. https://apnews.com/article/cannabis-marijuana-420-legal-california-oregon-washington-ae7880387eee7dbfcfecaff563d0b211 79. https://apnews.com/hub/politics 80. https://apnews.com/article/oregon-legislature-republicans-senate-walkout-boycott-3c9e012ccfb54ae267529e9c14ae56b8 81. https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-news 82. https://apnews.com/hub/videos 83. mailto:support@apnews.com 84. https://apnews.com/accessibility-statement 85. https://www.ap.org/ 86. https://insights.ap.org/ 87. https://blog.ap.org/ 88. https://apimagesblog.com/ 89. https://www.ap.org/explore/ 90. https://www.ap.org/books/ 91. https://www.apstylebook.com/ 92. https://www.ap.org/about/ 93. https://www.ap.org/contact-us/ 94. http://aphelp.ap.org/ 95. https://www.ap.org/careers/ 96. https://apnews.com/termsofservice 97. https://apnews.com/privacystatement Hidden links: 99. https://apnews.com/ 100. https://facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=870613919693099&display=popup&href=https://apnews.com/article/oregon-marijuana-cannabis-illegal-legislature-trafficking-b255c993f4de440920ddd0edff20fda8 101. https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://apnews.com/article/oregon-marijuana-cannabis-illegal-legislature-trafficking-b255c993f4de440920ddd0edff20fda8 102. mailto:?subject=Oregon%20to%20crack%20down%20on%20illegal%20pot%20growers%20by%20holding%20landowners%20responsible&body=https://apnews.com/article/oregon-marijuana-cannabis-illegal-legislature-trafficking-b255c993f4de440920ddd0edff20fda8 103. https://facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=870613919693099&display=popup&href=https://apnews.com/article/oregon-marijuana-cannabis-illegal-legislature-trafficking-b255c993f4de440920ddd0edff20fda8 104. https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://apnews.com/article/oregon-marijuana-cannabis-illegal-legislature-trafficking-b255c993f4de440920ddd0edff20fda8 105. mailto:?subject=Oregon%20to%20crack%20down%20on%20illegal%20pot%20growers%20by%20holding%20landowners%20responsible&body=https://apnews.com/article/oregon-marijuana-cannabis-illegal-legislature-trafficking-b255c993f4de440920ddd0edff20fda8 106. https://apnews.com/article/oregon-marijuana-cannabis-illegal-legislature-trafficking-b255c993f4de440920ddd0edff20fda8/gallery/ab9012eebb2c4344a712649a5f1c14ef 107. https://apnews.com/article/oregon-marijuana-cannabis-illegal-legislature-trafficking-b255c993f4de440920ddd0edff20fda8/gallery/ab9012eebb2c4344a712649a5f1c14ef 108. https://apnews.com/article/governor-ron-desantis-catholic-republican-religious-voters-766131e0c743f4bf854bc47c89720522 109. https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-supreme-court-race-redistricting-alabama-7a1e35b06dd28705322ec20266932523 110. https://apnews.com/article/speaker-mccarthy-debt-social-security-medicare-acc8aa14cb1958581c52efa9fd6cd05f 111. https://apnews.com/article/trump-justice-department-indictment-classified-documents-miami-8315a5b23c18f27083ed64eef21efff3 112. https://twitter.com/AP 113. https://www.facebook.com/APNews 114. https://www.youtube.com/user/AssociatedPress 115. https://www.linkedin.com/company/associated-press