(Photo | by Michael Fischer from Pexels)
On March 3, 2022 the Deschutes County Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement team, a partnership between the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Bend Police Department, launched the CANNAFACTS website canna-facts.com.
CANNAFACTS will provide Deschutes County residents and visitors with a better understanding of:
- Which recreational cannabis activities are legal and which are not
- Which agency is the best to contact with questions or concerns based on the specific cannabis activity
- Why and how to report serious illegal cannabis operations
There are a lot of questions and confusion surrounding which cannabis activities are legal, since many counties and cities have rules in addition to state law. Many community members have incorrectly assumed that when cannabis became legal that all cannabis activity was legalized. Others have assumed that any unusual or suspicious cannabis activity should be reported to 911. Neither of these assumptions are accurate.
To address this misinformation, the DCIMME team with help from community volunteers, state and regional agencies and local recreational cannabis businesses created CANNAFACTS — a one stop location with easily digestible information on our community’s cannabis laws and regulations. Through an interactive ‘Is It Legal’ decision tree, FAQs, a quiz and a comprehensive list of resources, the website guides Deschutes County residents and visitors through which elements make a cannabis activity legal or illegal, and who to contact with questions or concerns.
The site also offers a portal for community members to submit anonymous leads on serious illegal cannabis operations. Large scale illegal operations are negatively impacting the safety and health of our community and our legal cannabis businesses. The illegal operations are not paying taxes, their unregulated processing practices have resulted in explosions, and the operations are often tied to cartel activity.
Statement from Deschutes County District Attorney, John Hummel:
“We know from 911 calls, conversations with community members, and a law enforcement survey that Oregon’s cannabis laws are confusing. If we expect our community to be knowledgeable on the laws we need to do everything we can to clarify them.
“Are we spending money to stop a legal activity? No. As a supporter of the decriminalization of marijuana, know that I am not out for the person who is growing five versus four plants. The goal of our enforcement team is to end large scale illegal operations that too often are run by cartels, use banned pesticides, steal water rights, require workers to live and work in inhumane conditions, and undercut the legal marijuana businesses in Deschutes County.
“We want Deschutes County to remain a safe place to live and to run a prosperous legal business. When illegal operations threaten these values, it is the job of my office and local law enforcement to put an end to that type of activity. With the help of community members reporting suspicious activity through CANNAFACTS, we can keep our community safe, and help ensure the available cannabis products are safe and legal.”
