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CONTINUING COVERAGE: MARIJUANA Pot crash course offered in Ashland Comment By John Darling for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 18, 2015 at 6:17 PM By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 18, 2015 at 6:17 PM » Social News Billed as a “Special One-Day Cannabis Crash Course,” a Marijuana Business Conference planned Saturday at Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites is drawing 600 attendees and will help growers, wholesalers and retailers navigate the complex new rules on recreational pot from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. The conference features many of the main players in the budding industry. Attorneys Robert Graham and Anthony Johnson will discuss how wholesalers, growers, processors and retailers can obtain and keep marijuana business licenses, including fees, residency, reporting and renewing. Graham, of Grants Pass, has for years represented clients in both civil and criminal law regarding pot. Johnson is director of New Approach Oregon, which spearheaded Measure 91 to legalize recreational weed. State Rep. Peter Buckley, an advocate of marijuana legalization, will speak on the controversial proposal by the OLCC to ban sales of medical and recreational pot at the same location. He will also address the pros and cons of the proposed rule requiring business owners to be residents of the state for a certain period (Colorado requires two years of residency). Also scheduled to speak is state Rep. Ann Lininger, a native Ashlander now representing the Lake Oswego area. Portland lawyer Lee Berger and Medford retailer Brie Malarkey will discuss checking identification, signage, reporting, filing taxes and how to apply for a license. Cedar Gray of Williams and Paul Loney, a lawyer in Ashland and Portland, will speak on canopy limits, inspections, tracing, reporting and auditing. Gray is president of Oregon Sungrown Growers’ Guild, Oregon’s largest grower/patient advocacy organization, and is a member of the OLCC Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee. Speakers will also cover safety rules, packaging, testing, labeling, insurance and myriad regulations on processing, including edibles, topicals and extracts. They’ll analyze complex land-use regulations and local ordinances banning sales, such as the one recently enacted in Medford. The issue of increased use of electricity in growing marijuana will be addressed by the Eugene Water & Electric Board. “This is for everyone who is already in business or thinking about it,” says event organizer Alex Rogers of Ashland. “It’s such a new time now and so much is getting radically shaken up because of the new OLCC regulations. It’s important because there’s so much disinformation out there. We will allow hours of questioning.” While “opportunities are definitely abounding” in the industry, says Rogers, owner of Ashland Alternative Health, the prohibition of sales by local governments will harm the industry — but only temporarily. “We would like them to be sensible. This will go to a vote of the county or a lawsuit to the Oregon Supreme Court and ultimately, Medford will lose out,” says Rogers. “It’s not going to be forever. The people’s voice will be heard. … A lot of reactionary things will happen. In time, it won’t matter if your backyard smells like pot. If you want to take the criminality out of marijuana, then decriminalize it. It’s always two steps forward, one step back.” OLCC will begin accepting applications for growing, processing, wholesaling and retail sales of marijuana on Jan. 4. Registration is available at the event website, oregonmbc.com . Tickets are $199 through midnight Thursday, after which the price goes up to $249. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected] . By John Darling for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 18, 2015 at 6:17 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... 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