Effort Being Made in Hermiston to Put Cannabis Measure on Ballot

This past March, the Hermiston City Council voted against putting a commercial cannabis measure for voters’ consideration on the November ballot, but residents may still get an opportunity this fall to allow retail marijuana to be sold within the city.

An effort is currently being made to gather enough signatures of registered Hermiston voters to put such a measure on the November ballot.

The man behind the effort is Jeremy Archie, a Portland resident who owns The Treasure Valley Cannabis Co., in Ontario.

Signature gatherers began the petition process last weekend to gather the 1,614 valid signatures needed to put the measure on the November ballot. As of Thursday, May 30, they had collected 1,250 and Archie said he expects to wrap up the effort by next week. The signature sheets must be turned in by June 7.

“We’re close, but they have to verify who is a registered voter and whether they are all in the city limits,” Archie said by phone on Thursday, May 30. Archie expects to have between 1,400 and 1,450 by the end of Friday with a goal of collecting double the required number of signatures “so we have plenty to buffer us for non-eligible voters that may have signed.”

Last Wednesday, the city of Hermiston received confirmation from the state’s Election Division that Archie has submitted all the necessary paperwork to circulate a petition inside Hermiston city limits.

City Manager Byron Smith sent out a memo to city staff informing them of the effort. Smith said he anticipates the city receiving phone calls with questions about the signature-gathering effort. He told staff that the effort is not considered “soliciting” as they are not selling anything.

Recreational marijuana was first allowed in Oregon after Measure 91 passed in 2014 statewide with 56 percent of the vote. Hermiston voters, however, rejected the measure by 62 percent. The state Legislature allowed cities and counties whose residents voted against the measure by at least 55 percent to prohibit recreational or medical marijuana from being produced or sold within their jurisdictions.

A ballot measure was put before Hermiston voters in 2016 that, again, would prohibit recreational cannabis sales inside city limits. That measure passed with 54 percent of the vote.

This spring, the Hermiston City  Council voted 7-1 against putting another cannabis-related measure on the ballot.

That’s when Archie stepped in.

“Once we heard of the Hermiston City Council vote, I called my attorney to find out how fast we can get it on the ballot,” Archie said. He made a similar effort in Ontario. He was one of three petitioners seeking to allow recreational marijuana to be sold inside city limits. The effort succeeded, the measure passed, and Archie opened The Treasure Valley Cannabis Co.

When asked if he plans to open a cannabis store in Hermiston, he said, “Absolutely,” if the measure gets on the ballot and passes.

Archie’s ballot initiative, as outlined, would prohibit any cannabis store from locating within 1,000 feet of a school or another cannabis store. It also prohibits sales between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

It would also provide for a 3 percent sales tax on all cannabis sales to be collected by the city. Pendleton, which allows recreational cannabis sales, collects about $400,000 annually from the 3 percent sales tax it receives.

Archie has a crew of four people gathering signatures this week and hopes to add four to six more for the weekend.

He said the process has gone well, but a few have expressed their displeasure.

“We’ve had people honk and give us the thumbs down,” he said. “But we’re abiding by state law.”

If enough valid signatures are collected and the initiative is put on the November ballot, Archie said he will work to pass the measure in November.

“We’ll continue our effort to stay out in front of people and remind them to vote,” Archie said. “It’s not enough to sign the petition. You have go out and vote for it in November.”