BEND, OR -- Deschutes County Commissioners are expected to approve Monday lifting the ban on marijuana-related businesses in unincorporated areas. Community Development Director Nick Lelack says they will likely vote to rescind the “opt out” by emergency. "The emergency clause would make the ordinance they’re adopting effective September first."

Lelack tells KBND News, "The Board of County Commissioners thought that 30 days would be an appropriate amount of time for the ordinance to be rescinded prior to its being in effect so that at the staff level we are able to conduct a couple of public workshops to provide information: what is going to be required in the submittal requirements for the applications, what they can expect for the review process, as the process unfolds." Public workshops are tentatively scheduled for August 23, to help business owners and neighbors learn more about requirements and the application process. 

He expects applications will start coming into his office almost immediately. "We have inquiries everyday from potential businesses looking forward to the opt out being rescinded so they can move forward with their business plans. With that said, it’s uncertain how many applications will actually come in the first day, the first week or even the first month, because there are a number of requirements per the county’s adopted regulations that will need to be satisfied in their application."