Local petition seeks to bring back medical marijuana dispensary in La Grande | Local News

LA GRANDE – A medical marijuana farmer leads the indictment of bringing a medical marijuana pharmacy back to La Grande.

Derik Drake, owner of Flower of Life Farms, Nyssa, intends to partially repeal Ordinance 3228 banning the cultivation and distribution of marijuana in La Grande in order to take ownership of HWY 30 cannabis. Drake hopes to collect 1,315 signatures by Monday July 26th to bring the initiative to the November city election.

Drake and his team have visited local malls, events, and downtown to promote and gain support.

“We’re working on it from every angle,” he said. “We’re just trying to move things in a positive direction in this community.”

In 2015, the City of La Grande issued Ordinance 3228 banning medical marijuana processing sites, medical marijuana dispensaries, recreational marijuana producers, recreational marijuana processors, recreational marijuana wholesalers, and recreational marijuana retailers. Despite the ban, HWY 30 Cannabis on Adams Avenue became a grandfather as a result of the pre-regulation opening that allowed the business to continue operating as the only medical marijuana dispensary in town.

As a local medical marijuana farmer, Drake sold his product to HWY 30 Cannabis for years and tried to take over the business when owner Rona Lindsey began planning her retirement. However, the takeover by Drake at the same location is prohibited by Ordinance 3228, as he would open a new pharmacy according to technical terms.

“Even though we would be in the same building and do exactly the same thing as them and stay medical, they won’t let us in,” he said.

After the state legalized recreational marijuana in 2014, Oregon saw a sharp shift from medical marijuana dispensaries to recreational dispensaries. Before HWY 30 ended its licensing and became a CBD and supplies business, HWY 30 was one of the few remaining medical pharmacies in the state to which Drake could sell.

“I just see it as a healing tool and a helpful cause that people need and can be educated about,” he said. “Even if you don’t support it, we’ll keep it off the streets. We regulate it and try to do something positive for the community. “

According to Mike Boquist, director of community development for La Grande, HWY 30 and the Oregon Health Authority agreed not to renew the pharmacy’s license.

As a result, all existing town planning permits and grandfather rights would expire if the license was not renewed.

“I don’t think they realized at the time that selling the property to another pharmacy would give an entirely new permit and that that was going to be a problem,” Boquist said. “I think it just comes down to what the rules say and what you stick to.”

If Drake collects the 1,315 required signatures, the initiative to partially repeal Ordinance 3228 will likely get to the vote on the November ballot for residents of La Grande. La Grande City Council could potentially approve the initiative ahead of the November elections or build on the results of a November vote.

When recreational marijuana was legalized, a majority of La Grande residents voted to ban its sale in the city. Since then, initiatives to lift the ban have been launched by HWY 30 and city council members, but these have never materialized.

He appeared as an opponent of recreational marijuana in La Grande in Councilor David Glabe’s 2020 campaign. He stated that he recognized the medicinal benefits for some individuals but did not tolerate any movement towards recreational sales.

While Drake is just trying to get medical marijuana back into the community, support has been lacking in recent years, as evidenced by the failed attempt by HWY 30 in March 2020 to repeal the regulation.

“We know La Grande is kind of conservative and that they don’t want any more pharmacies,” Drake said. “We’re just trying to reopen (only) one location.”

By Tuesday, July 20, Drake and his team had collected nearly 1,000 signatures, with one week remaining to submit the required number of signatures.