Tentative rules regulating the maximum size of licensed marijuana grows recommended to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission seek to establish parity between various types of operations.
The commission's Recreational Marijuana Rules Advisory Technical Subcommittee Wednesday said outdoor grows will be limited to 60,000 square feet of cannabis production, while greenhouse operations will be capped at 30,000. Indoor growers will get just 10,000 square feet.
The new rules follow a strict 6-3-1 ratio, which the agency says is designed to “create parity” between indoor and outdoor growers.
“The idea is that an indoor grower, because of the artificial conditions, can have multiple grows throughout the year, while the outdoor grower can only have one — and greenhouse somewhere in the middle,” said Compliance Specialist Danica Hibpshman.
The requirements were discussed at the final meeting of the subcommittee. The group is one of eight stakeholder committees created by the OLCC as it races to finalize regulations before its Jan. 4 start date for accepting recreational pot license applications.
A majority of the nine committee members reiterated dislike of Radio Frequency Identification technology, a crucial component of Oregon’s seed-to-sale tracking system that has gained an air of inevitability.
“In talks with (OLCC Director) Steve (Marks), it’s been like, ‘You guys are getting RFID’d,’ ” said Director of the Oregon SunGrowers’ Guild Gina Erdmann.
Hibpshman said the committee could not include a formal recommendation either way, citing pending litigation. Oregon is embroiled in a lawsuit filed by BioTrackTHC after the state selected a different contractor for its $1.7 million tracking system.
OLCC employees disclosed few other details regarding the impending regulations.
Growers will likely be required to destroy the psychoactive component of crop waste and trim, probably through composting or burning. The agency has hired 11 compliance officers, and the committee members recommended a 72-hour period of notification prior to inspections.
The growers supported a number of proposals, including their right to create their own packing and to have no limits placed on the amount of legal pot they can transport to dispensaries or marijuana processors.
While a security plan will likely be required from applicants, the growers said the regulations should mandate only 24-hour surveillance of facilities, not video cameras.
“We’re all going to protect our investment exceptionally well,” Eco Firma Farms President Jesse Peters said.
At the meeting’s conclusion, OLCC staffers stressed that recommendations, not rulings, would be the final output of the work sessions.
“I want there to be context, that whether it’s you guys or me, it’s all just perspectives. The OLCC is going to what it thinks is best, balancing the needs of industry with the protection of children,” Hibpshman said.
