Indopedia All Things Marijuana
Josephine County officials filed the suit with the U.S. District Court in Medford this week, arguing that the federal government’s prohibition on marijuana takes precedence over the state’s legalization of the plant. Opb.org/news/article/cannabis-marijuana-laws-oregon-josephine-county-lawsuit/” target=” blank”>an ongoing battle between county officials and cannabis businesses who are growing legal marijuana in the municipality. Josephine County is currently one of the state’s largest producers of cannabis, but last year, county officials passed an ordinance imposing greater limitations on these businesses. Specifically, the ordinance prevented commercial grow-ops on residentially-zoned plots of land smaller than five acres, and imposed additional limits on larger plots of land.
A group of cannabis farmers challenged the ordinance, and a state court ruled it invalid after it was determined the city hadn’t followed proper protocol for passing the law. The county is appealing that decision, but has also decided to take things much further by filing a federal lawsuit which could potentially destroy the state’s entire cannabis industry. Opb.org/news/article/cannabis-marijuana-laws-oregon-josephine-county-lawsuit/” target=” blank”> told Oregon Public Broadcasting that the county is “asking the court to declare whether the state lawfully has that ability to limit” the county’s options for regulating cannabis cultivators. Last May, 64% of voters in the county approved a non-binding ballot question expressing their official support for allowing the county to limit cannabis cultivation. Hicks said that the county is only trying to impose regulations “in the way that the people of the county and the governing body of the county have expressed that they would like to regulate it.
Oregon voters have spoken-medical and adult-use marijuana are legal in the state of Oregon. Now, a handful of county officials are trying to invalidate the will of our voters. Opb.org/news/article/cannabis-marijuana-laws-oregon-josephine-county-lawsuit/” target=” blank”> told OPB. “This is a massive overcorrection from what they really wantThis is Josephine County asking a federal court to terminate legal recreational and medical regimes. ” Patterson explained that if the federal court were to rule in favor of the county, it would set a precedent that could eventually allow cannabis legalization laws to be overturned in any state that has legalized the drug.
Whether or not the county can successfully pull off this feat remains to be seen.
