Voters in two Oregon counties will decide in the May primary whether to allow marijuana-related businesses. County commissioners banned marijuana retailers and growers in unincorporated parts of Klamath and Grant counties last year.
But local residents gathered enough signatures to force a vote to reverse that.
Edward Medina, who runs a medical marijuana dispensary in the city of Klamath Falls, said the ban means he can't source his product from local farmers. He's hoping voters there choose to overturn the ban, even though 56 percent of them voted against legalization in the first place.
"Right now I would say it's kind of a coin toss as to whether or not this is going to pass,” Medina said.
It's an even steeper climb in Grant County, where 65 percent of voters said no to legalized marijuana in 2014. The local bans don't affect the personal use of marijuana.
More Oregonians will have the chance to affirm or reject bans on marijuana businesses in November. That's when voters in dozens of cities across the state will weigh in on pot ordinances passed by city councils in the wake of a legislative measure that allows them to ban marijuana businesses, but only if local voters sign off.
Copyright 2016 Northwest News Network
