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SOUTHERN OREGON Number of large medical pot farms rising Comment By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Feb. 20, 2015 at 4:39 PM By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Feb. 20, 2015 at 4:39 PM --> Oregon medical marijuana grow sites serving 11 or more patients, top 5 locations Portland — 25 Williams — 16 Grants Pass — 16 Cave Junction —... » Read more X Oregon medical marijuana grow sites serving 11 or more patients, top 5 locations Portland — 25 Williams — 16 Grants Pass — 16 Cave Junction — 14 Eagle Point — 12 Statewide total — 282 » Social News The largest medical marijuana farm in the state is located in Selma, and Josephine County contains the largest concentration of growers. Just don't ask who they are — or where, exactly. It is literally a state secret. Oregon Health Authority spokesperson Jonathan Modie, responding to inquiries from the Daily Courier, replied that it would be a violation of Oregon statute ORS 475.331 to reveal the identity of growers in the program. And the numbers are growing. According to data from the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, there are 282 grow sites statewide that each produce marijuana for 11 or more patients. That's a 130 percent increase since 2012, according to The Oregonian newspaper. As you might expect, Portland, with close to 1.8 million people in the city and its suburbs, has the most growers with 11 or more patients. But next on the list? Williams, the rural unincorporated hamlet off the beaten path in the Applegate Valley. Next up on the list is Grants Pass, which is followed by Cave Junction. Eagle Point, north of Medford, rounds out the top five. Then there's Selma, where a single grower serves 104 patients, far more than any other grower in the state. The next largest operation serves 62 OMMP patients and is located somewhere in southeast Portland. This information was ascertained because the data released by OMMP has the ZIP codes for each grower with 11 or more patients, and ZIP codes of each patient. Because of the rules, marijuana growers can produce far more than they need. For every patient, growers may have up to six mature marijuana plants and 18 smaller ones. At 3 to 5 pounds of crop per plant grown outside, that grow-site in Selma could theoretically produce up to 3,120 pounds just from mature plants. There are plenty of customers in the area. The OMMP said in the fall that 5,323 people in Josephine County had medical marijuana patient cards, out of a total of 69,429 issued statewide. A state law passed 11 months ago allows dispensaries to operate. Cardholders were already allowed to grow medical marijuana. In an October report in the Daily Courier, Cheryl Keil, co-owner of dispensaries in Kerby and Cave Junction, said, "You can find 100 growers right down this strip of road." Keil's brother, Brian Holsclaw, manager at the dispensaries, said this week that he's not sure who the large grower in Selma is. He said much of the marijuana sold at the dispensaries comes from excess from patients, many of whom are also growers. And the kicker for the grower in Selma with 104 patients? All of them live in California, and 100 of them live in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, 700 miles away. Perfectly legal, according to the law. Other than ZIP codes, no information is available about any patients either. When asked how a grower in Selma serves patients in Southern California, Modie replied: "There is nothing in the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act allowing for the transfer of marijuana to individuals in other states; however, the Oregon Supreme Court has ruled (State vs. Berringer) that there is no residency requirement to participate in the OMMP." The current language of Measure 91, the voter approved law that legalized recreational marijuana in Oregon, designates the Oregon Liquor Control Commission as the overseeing agency. The medical marijuana program is exempt from the provisions of the recreational law. However, lawmakers are likely to consider a bill requiring the OLCC to regulate medical marijuana production, too. Reach reporter Jeff Duewel at 541-474-3720 or [email protected]   By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Feb. 20, 2015 at 4:39 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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