The Oregon Senate has passed a bill that would increase penalties for landowners who knowingly allow illegal cannabis cultivation on their property, KPIC reports. The legislation would also eliminate special tax assessments for properties involved in unlicensed cannabis activity.
These assessments typically help fund infrastructure projects benefiting the assessed properties. Under the proposed law, landowners who permit illegal cultivation would lose this financial benefit.
State Sen. David Brock Smith (R), who sponsored the bill, said the goal is to hold property owners accountable and discourage them from leasing or renting land for unlawful operations.
“Those landowners need to be better stewards of their land… It is their responsibility,” Smith told KPIC.
Douglas County Commissioner Chris Boice, who co-wrote the bill with the Oregon Farm Bureau, emphasized the broader impact of illegal grow sites, including unregulated chemical use near waterways and increasing cases of human trafficking.
In a statement, the Douglas County Human Trafficking Task Force highlighted the dangers at these sites:
“Labor trafficking is fairly common within the industry… People are promised good pay but end up living in hazardous, unsanitary conditions.”
Authorities say they’ve identified more than 150 trafficking victims and survivors in Douglas County alone, with connections to illicit grow operations linked to countries including China, Russia, Ukraine, Mexico, Honduras, and Laos.
The legislation still requires approval from the Oregon House of Representatives before heading to the governor’s desk.
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