Oregon to boost law enforcement efforts against black-market cannabis

Oregon lawmakers have dedicated an extra $1.5 million to local law enforcement agencies to combat illegal cannabis businesses in poorer counties.

According to The Register-Guard, the move was largely in response to a summit last month hosted in Portland by a U.S. attorney who warned that if states don’t do more to combat the illicit trade, the federal government may “step up enforcement of federal anti-marijuana laws.”

“We have to do something about (black-market marijuana) to stave off federal intervention,” said Rob Bovett, an attorney for the Association of Oregon Counties, The Register-Guard reported.

Several counties that may receive portions of the funding include Josephine, Jackson, Curry, Coos and Douglas, all in southern Oregon.