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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 Roseburg shooting victim describes gunman's rampage ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... Roseburg shooting victim describes gunman's rampage ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... LEGISLATURE Dispute over local control drives Oregon pot committee to impasse Comment By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press Posted May. 12, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press Posted May. 12, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News SALEM — The future is in doubt for a bill aimed at cutting off the flow of medical marijuana to the black market after an Oregon legislative committee overseeing legal marijuana reached an impasse late Monday. The bill creates a variety of new restrictions and regulations for the medical marijuana community, which lawmakers see as a necessary step to ensure the recreational program can succeed without drawing objections from federal authorities. The Joint Committee on Implementing Measure 91 crafted a lengthy set of new restrictions for the medicinal program. But lawmakers could not agree on one: The process for local governments to ban medical marijuana dispensaries or other pot facilities within their boundaries. "We are almost there. But we have a legitimate impasse here, with good people on both sides," said Sen. Ginny Burdick, a Portland Democrat who serves as the committee's co-chair. "So while that is regrettable, it's not surprising on an issue this complicated." It will now fall to legislative leaders to figure out whether to revive the bill and how, Burdick said. The bill would have kept regulation of medical marijuana separate from recreational marijuana. After lengthy negotiations, lawmakers generally agreed on a variety of new rules for the medical program. They include limits on the number of plants at a single grow site, an inventory tracking and reporting system, inspection requirements and an Oregon residency mandate. The issue of local control was insurmountable, however. Some Democrats are adamantly opposed to local governments banning medical marijuana facilities, saying sick people who use marijuana need to have access to the drug. "I have a huge amount of heartburn over the idea that medicine would be voted out of a community," said Rep. Peter Buckley, an Ashland Democrat. Buckley and other critics of local bans eventually agreed to allow them if they were subject to an automatic vote of the people. But that was too much to ask for other lawmakers, who preferred that opponents of a ban gather signatures from registered voters to refer it to the ballot, as they would have to do to challenge any other local ordinance. By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press Posted May. 12, 2015 at 2:00 AM » 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