Residents in another Oregon county complain to officials about annoying pot growers

A large crowd of Deschutes County, Oregon, (Wikipedia map) residents appeared before the planning commission on Thursday night to voice their displeasure with marijuana operations near their properties, Pedro Quintana reports for KTVZ in Bend. Residents—one said he was threatened by a marijuana grower—told the commission that pot growers create a nuisance, and they called on the county to put stricter regulations on such businesses.

"The growing and processing of medical marijuana has been legal in Oregon since voters passed the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act in 1998," Quintana writes. "A year ago, Oregon voters approved Measure 91, which legalized the possession and use of marijuana for adult (21+) recreational use. State law gives the county the authority to adopt reasonable regulations for marijuana-related businesses in unincorporated Deschutes County. The county is working to develop and adopt local regulations by the end of 2015, before the Oregon Liquor Control Commission starts accepting applications for marijuana-related business licenses in January."

Last month residents in Jackson County, in the southern part of the state, complained that marijuana growers are buying up land—displacing landowners—using up water sources in an area in the middle of a drought and creating an unfriendly environment that consists of increased traffic, loud noises, unpleasant smells and an impending fear of violence in once quiet, remote neighborhoods.