Law enforcement in Southern Oregon counties already gets flooded with complaints of possibly illegal cannabis grows. Jackson County Sheriff Nate Sickler says his department receives anywhere from 10
to 15 complaints a week regarding suspicious grows.
To criminally prosecute, law enforcement must prove through testing that illicit growers are cultivating plants containing THC levels above a certain threshold. Unfortunately, the Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division will no longer conduct tests that tell the difference between hemp and marijuana because there was no scientific or evidentiary value in the data.
Besides, with limited resources and limited funds, Sheriff Chris Kaber of Klamath County, made it clear that, “Meth, heroin, fentanyl—that’s the higher priority than people growing illegal weed.”
