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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Homeless man arrested on murder charge in Greenway death ... Walden pushes for FEMA help with wildfires ... Real estate sales, prices still climbing ... Homeless man arrested on murder charge in Greenway death ... Walden pushes for FEMA help with wildfires ... Real estate sales, prices still climbing ... State rep not thrilled with firing of marijuana director Comment By Chris Bristol Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Chris Bristol Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Mar. 30, 2015 at 4:36 PM By Chris Bristol Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Mar. 30, 2015 at 4:36 PM » Social News State Rep. Carl Wilson issued a statement Saturday calling the firing of Oregon's first marijuana director "disconcerting" as he and other lawmakers struggle to figure out how to tax pot without driving sales underground. Wilson, R-Grants Pass, sits on a legislative committee that is tasked with implementing Measure 91, which legalized recreational marijuana in Oregon. "It is becoming clear that the 800-pound gorilla here is taxation," Wilson said. "Many members of the committee are deeply concerned with marijuana products being taxed out of the market, making everything we have done useless. "As I've heard from Colorado, you don't want to get into the position that the only people who buy legal marijuana at the retail level are 'chumps and tourists.' " Wilson issued the statement in reaction to the firing of Tom Burns, a policy adviser to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission who was abruptly fired Thursday. OLCC spokesman Tom Towslee said Burns was given the boot because he allegedly shared a "confidential document" with a lawyer representing marijuana growers, and then lied about it. Towslee said Burns denied the allegation during a meeting Thursday with OLCC Executive Director Steven Marks and was subsequently fired after he was presented with evidence that he had emailed the document. Towslee said not being truthful was "the greater sin." Burns previously oversaw the rollout of the state's medical marijuana dispensary program. He was tapped last December to direct marijuana programs for the OLCC. In his statement, Wilson called the firing "disconcerting" because his committee has been working with Burns "from the very beginning and we are just now beginning to make the policy decisions that will make this whole thing work." Wilson characterized the confidential document that Burns was accused of leaking as "policy issues" that contained nothing surprising. "These are things that had been discussed in open committee, so, to me, it wasn't like he shared 'classified' information," Wilson said. "But," he added, "denying sharing the information was the killer." The law takes effect July 1. OLCC licensing director Will Higlin is filling in for Burns until a permanent replacement is found. The Associated Press contributed to this report   By Chris Bristol Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Chris Bristol Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Mar. 30, 2015 at 4:36 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501