Rogue Valley News, Friday 6/28 – Upper Applegate Fire Update, Thieves Steal Fire Fighting Equipment from US Forestry Service Fighting the Upper Applegate Fire & Other Local and Statewide News…

Fires All Around the State

Things change rapidly- Look at the difference in past two days.

Please Help Prevent Wildfires!

https://app.watchduty.org

OHA study confirms gap in behavioral health treatment beds across Oregon, details financial path to expanding capacity

SALEM, Ore.– Oregon needs up to 3,700 adult mental health and substance use treatment beds to close existing gaps and meet future service projections, according to a final Oregon Health Authority (OHA) study of the state’s behavioral health continuum of care.

The findings are part of an assessment that Governor Tina Kotek directed OHA to commission last year. The report was produced by Public Consulting Group (PCG), a public sector solutions implementation and operations improvement firm that has produced similar studies in Washington and other states.

The findings inform an ongoing funding and implementation effort that state leaders are committed to pursue, which could take several biennia to complete.

According to the final Behavioral Health Residential + Facility Study report, closing the gap could require investments of as much as $170 million per year over the next five years and the creation of approximately 650 new beds per year.

The final report includes a new five-year funding recommendation that recognizes the importance of:

• Increasing the behavioral health workforce to support expanded capacity.
• Improving access to mental health and substance use disorder support services to help individuals stay within their communities.
• Expanding supportive and transitional housing opportunities.

State health officials will continue to work with Governor Kotek and the Legislature to apply the study’s findings and guide investments toward closing the gap in treatment services.

“We don’t get to choose between adding beds, and adding workforce. We must do both in order to make real change in our behavioral health system. It’s important to note that capacity in Oregon’s behavioral health system is dynamic, and the data in the report represent a point-in-time snapshot of one part of a broader continuum of care,” said OHA Behavioral Health Director Ebony Clarke.

“This report provides us with critical data to inform how we prioritize the creation of more treatment beds and it also underscores the broader understanding that we need to continue to invest in solutions that reduce the number of beds needed,” Clarke said. “We do this through investing in protective factors and earlier intervention – additional community-based programming, crisis and outpatient programs, in addition to other supportive services – to prevent people who are experiencing mental illness or substance use from progressing to a level of severity in their illnesses that would require treatment in a more acute setting.”

The final report follows the draft preliminary report released in February.

At the direction of OHA, the final report reflects updated data for the facilities within scope for this study. Although there is no perfect methodology for determining the appropriate number of high-acuity beds in a behavioral health system, PCG used state and national data sets, findings from peer-reviewed literature and surveys of treatment facilities to estimate mental health and SUD treatment bed capacity and needs within the continuum of care. PCG worked at the direction of OHA to include Oregon-specific data.

Even as the report was finalized, state officials were moving quickly to supplement capacity and have already identified several short-horizon “priority” projects, which are likely to bring community beds online within the next year or two and to address what are considered critical service gaps. OHA is working to publish a dashboard later this summer that will track and highlight progress toward new beds coming online.

Over the past four years, the Oregon Legislature has invested more than $1.5 billion to expand behavioral health treatment capacity, raise provider payment rates and stabilize the treatment workforce. Oregon’s current capacity shortfall would be even greater without these investments.

According to the report, recent legislative investments from HB 5202 (2022) and HB 5024 (2021) have supported the creation of 356 new licensed mental health residential beds (exclusive of adult foster homes), SUD residential, and withdrawal management beds, which are under construction and scheduled to open by the third quarter of 2025.

Unusual coin toss determines outcome of 7-7 tie in Oregon House primary

The winner, Democrat Doyle Canning, can’t accept the nomination because she lost her primary race

On Thursday morning, one Oregon primary election came down to an anticlimactic and ultimately meaningless coin flip.

Republicans didn’t field a candidate in the heavily Democratic 8th House District in Eugene, which meant whichever qualified candidate received the most write-in votes could claim the Republican nomination. Of the 103 names written in by Republicans, the two highest vote-getters were Democratic nominee Lisa Fragala and her Democratic opponent Doyle Canning.

Under state law, election officials needed to decide “by lot.” Past ties have been settled by rolling dice, but in this case election officials decided a coin toss was the fairest outcome.

Neither Canning nor Fragala drove from Eugene to watch the coin flip, so employees of the Secretary of State’s Office served as proxies. In a basement conference room, a small group of employees, government nerds and one reporter watched as Luke Belant, the state’s deputy elections director, pulled a quarter from his wallet.

After both proxies agreed that the coin – minted in 2013 to commemorate Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry’s victory at Lake Erie in the War of 1812 – was acceptable, Belant tossed it in the air. It landed tails up – a victory for Canning.

But that victory was to be short-lived: Because she lost the Democratic nomination, Canning is barred from accepting the nomination of any other party under the state’s sore loser law. Instead, Republican precinct committee persons – the elected local party officials who vote on party business, including nominating replacements for candidates or elected officials who don’t finish their terms – could choose a Republican nominee to appear on the general election ballot.

Canning, laughing when she heard the results from a Capital Chronicle reporter, said she was shocked but proud that the Secretary of State administered elections so consistently, fairly and transparently.

“Even though we’re talking about seven votes, it’s great that we can all be so confident that the laws and procedures are so dutifully followed,” she said.

She still has no idea who the seven Republicans who voted for her are, but she said the tie vote coin flip should be a lesson for political parties to compete in every district.

“The lesson here for any political party is to field a candidate,” Canning said. “I’m sure, had the Republicans fielded a candidate, they would have gotten more than seven votes.”

It’s rare, though not unheard of, for an election to end in a game of chance. It last happened in Oregon in 2016, when both Democratic candidate Janeen Sollman and Republican Dan Mason earned 41 votes from members of the Independent Party of Oregon.

In that case, election officials decided to have each candidate roll a die. Mason won the roll with a six to Sollman’s three, Northwest News Network reported at the time, but Sollman, now a state senator, won with voters in November.  (SOURCE)

Oregon begins the remaining pandemic unwinding renewals with new changes helping Oregonians keep coverage

SALEM, Ore. — With over 91 percent of the state’s 1.5 million renewals complete, more than four out of five Oregonians are keeping their Oregon Health Plan (OHP) or other Medicaid benefits.

There are four monthly “waves” of renewals left in the unwinding process. The first of these remaining four batches started this month, asking for a response by the end of September.

An update in May to the ONE Eligibility system people use to apply for and manage their medical benefits enabled Oregon to use an improved process for the remaining renewals. These changes are a substantial set of small adjustments that together will make it easier for the people of Oregon to keep their medical benefits. This includes changes to make medical eligibility and renewal notices easier to read and to give more details about decisions. People in the June “wave” of renewals are the first to experience these process improvements.

Oregon’s 82.5 percent renewal rate continues to be the third highest in a national comparison of state renewal rates by KFF, a nonpartisan health policy organization. Oregon’s high renewal rates are due to proactive efforts by the state to keep people covered, including extended response timelines, and the upcoming launch of OHP Bridge for adults with higher incomes.

Members who have not received a renewal yet should:

• Keep their address and contact information up to date.
• Check their mail or ONE Online account for their renewal letter.
• Do what the renewal letter asks as soon as possible. Anyone concerned they missed their letter should get help with their renewal using one of the options listed below.
• Members who did not respond to renewals can still re-open their case three months after it closes if they are still eligible, and they can reapply at any time.

June OHP renewal data – As of June 18, 2024, 1,330,708 people have completed the renewal process. This represents around 91.7 percent of all OHP and Medicaid members.

• 1,097,801 people (82.5 percent) were renewed and kept their benefits.
• 221,958 people (16.7 percent) were found ineligible.
• 10,949 people (0.8 percent) had a reduction in their benefits. Most of these members lost full OHP but were able to continue Medicare Savings Programs that help pay their Medicare costs.

Although most people are keeping coverage during the post-pandemic medical renewals, approximately 234,000 people have or will need to consider other coverage options due to lost or reduced benefits.

• People who do not have coverage through an employer or Medicare may be able to enroll through the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace and get financial help. Most people who enroll through HealthCare.gov qualify for this help.
• The Marketplace is sending information to people who are no longer eligible for OHP benefits, advising of other potential coverage options.
• People who have recently lost OHP benefits can enroll anytime until November 30, 2024, or within 60 days of their benefits ending.
• For more information and ways to get help signing up for Marketplace, Medicare, or employer coverage, see “What to do if OHP is ending” below.

Need help renewing your benefits?

1. Learn more about how to renew your Oregon Health Plan medical coverage.  You can log into your online portal and complete your redetermination work at benefits.oregon.gov.
2. Call the ONE Customer Service Center at 800-699-9075. All relay calls are accepted, and help is available in multiple languages. Wait times are lowest between 7 and 8 a.m., PST.
3. Visit or call a local Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) office. People can find their local office at https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/Pages/office-finder.aspx.
4. Visit a community partner for free, in-person help. To find one near you visit OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp (English) or orhim.info/ayuda (Spanish).
5. Download the Oregon ONE Mobile app via the app store to keep track of your renewal, find a local office, or upload a document.

What to do if your OHP is ending:

• First, review the case summary in your letter to make sure the information used to make the decision was correct. If that information has changed, notify the state via one of the options above If the information on file for you is correct and you disagree with the decision, you can request a hearing. Learn more about hearings.
• Explore options through an employer. If you, your spouse or a parent are working, you may be eligible for health coverage through that employer. Talk to your manager or Human Resources department to see if you qualify. You will have a special enrollment period to enroll mid-year due to loss of OHP benefits.
• If you have or are eligible for Medicare: For help understanding and choosing the right Medicare options, go to https://OregonHealthcare.gov/GetHelp to find an insurance agent or a counselor at the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance Program (SHIBA). You can also call SHIBA at 800-722-4134.

If you need to sign up for Medicare for the first time, contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) at 800-772-1213 to enroll by phone or find a local office. You can also enroll in Medicare online at ssa.gov/medicare/sign-up.

• Nearly 80 percent of Oregonians qualify for financial help through the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace. Visit OregonHealthCare.gov/WindowShop to answer a few quick questions, find out how much you can save and find out how much coverage may cost you. You can also call the Marketplace Transition Help Center at 833-699-6850 (toll-free, all relay calls accepted).
• Need free local help finding other coverage? Visit OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp to find professional help near you.

OHA and ODHS are committed to transparency and will continue to send monthly information about medical coverage among Oregonians. Check our ONE Eligibility Operations Dashboards for more frequent updates on medical renewal data and wait times for callers to the ONE Customer Service Center.

OHA study confirms gap in behavioral health treatment beds across Oregon, details financial path to expanding capacity

SALEM, Ore.– Oregon needs up to 3,700 adult mental health and substance use treatment beds to close existing gaps and meet future service projections, according to a final Oregon Health Authority (OHA) study of the state’s behavioral health continuum of care.

The findings are part of an assessment that Governor Tina Kotek directed OHA to commission last year. The report was produced by Public Consulting Group (PCG), a public sector solutions implementation and operations improvement firm that has produced similar studies in Washington and other states.

The findings inform an ongoing funding and implementation effort that state leaders are committed to pursue, which could take several biennia to complete.

According to the final Behavioral Health Residential + Facility Study report, closing the gap could require investments of as much as $170 million per year over the next five years and the creation of approximately 650 new beds per year.

The final report includes a new five-year funding recommendation that recognizes the importance of:

• Increasing the behavioral health workforce to support expanded capacity.
• Improving access to mental health and substance use disorder support services to help individuals stay within their communities.
• Expanding supportive and transitional housing opportunities.

State health officials will continue to work with Governor Kotek and the Legislature to apply the study’s findings and guide investments toward closing the gap in treatment services.

“We don’t get to choose between adding beds, and adding workforce. We must do both in order to make real change in our behavioral health system. It’s important to note that capacity in Oregon’s behavioral health system is dynamic, and the data in the report represent a point-in-time snapshot of one part of a broader continuum of care,” said OHA Behavioral Health Director Ebony Clarke.

“This report provides us with critical data to inform how we prioritize the creation of more treatment beds and it also underscores the broader understanding that we need to continue to invest in solutions that reduce the number of beds needed,” Clarke said. “We do this through investing in protective factors and earlier intervention – additional community-based programming, crisis and outpatient programs, in addition to other supportive services – to prevent people who are experiencing mental illness or substance use from progressing to a level of severity in their illnesses that would require treatment in a more acute setting.”

The final report follows the draft preliminary report released in February.

At the direction of OHA, the final report reflects updated data for the facilities within scope for this study. Although there is no perfect methodology for determining the appropriate number of high-acuity beds in a behavioral health system, PCG used state and national data sets, findings from peer-reviewed literature and surveys of treatment facilities to estimate mental health and SUD treatment bed capacity and needs within the continuum of care. PCG worked at the direction of OHA to include Oregon-specific data.

Even as the report was finalized, state officials were moving quickly to supplement capacity and have already identified several short-horizon “priority” projects, which are likely to bring community beds online within the next year or two and to address what are considered critical service gaps. OHA is working to publish a dashboard later this summer that will track and highlight progress toward new beds coming online.

Over the past four years, the Oregon Legislature has invested more than $1.5 billion to expand behavioral health treatment capacity, raise provider payment rates and stabilize the treatment workforce. Oregon’s current capacity shortfall would be even greater without these investments.

According to the report, recent legislative investments from HB 5202 (2022) and HB 5024 (2021) have supported the creation of 356 new licensed mental health residential beds (exclusive of adult foster homes), SUD residential, and withdrawal management beds, which are under construction and scheduled to open by the third quarter of 2025.

FBI Seeking Individual Who May Have Information Regarding the Identity of a Child Sexual Assault Victim

PORTLAND, OREGON – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seeking the public’s assistance with obtaining identifying information regarding an unknown male who may have critical information pertaining to the identity of a child victim in an ongoing sexual exploitation investigation. Photographs and an informational poster depicting the unknown individual, known only as John Doe 48, are being disseminated to the public and can be found online at the FBI website at http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap.

Initial video of the unidentified male, John Doe 48, first recorded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in December of 2023. The EXIF data embedded within the video file indicated that the file was produced in October of 2023.

John Doe 48 is described as a White male between the ages of 45 and 65 years old, with dark hair, and a gray beard. He has a tattoo on each of his forearms. He is seen in the back of a 2018-2019 Nissan NV Cargo Van wearing a blue t-shirt and a dark-colored hat. He is heard speaking English in the video.

Anyone with information to provide should submit a tip online at https://tips.fbi.gov/ or call the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). The public is reminded no charges have been filed in this case and the pictured individual is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

This individual is being sought as part of the FBI’s Operation Rescue Me and Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) initiatives. Operation Rescue Me focuses on utilizing clues obtained through in-depth image analysis to identify the child victims depicted in child exploitation material, while ECAP seeks national and international media exposure of unknown adults (referred to as John/Jane Does) who visibly display their faces and/or other distinguishing characteristics in association with child pornography images. — UNKNOWN INDIVIDUAL – JOHN DOE 48 — FBI

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Seeks to Improve Fish Hatcheries

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) hosted a public meeting Thursday addressing the current problems plaguing Oregon’s fish hatcheries.

ODFW Deputy Administrator Shaun Clements says hatcheries serve an important purpose, and provide social, economic, and cultural benefits to Oregonians. Hatcheries also play a significant role in re-establishing declining fish populations. But climate change, aging hatchery infrastructure, and increasing costs are making it difficult to reach fishery and conservation goals.

Clements says the main priorities of ODFW are investing in hatchery infrastructure and collaborating with community members for more solutions.

“These hatcheries produce about 35 million salmon steelhead a year and about 5 million trout. Hatcheries are an incredibly important source for harvest opportunity, constituting about 70% of the harvested fish in Oregon,” Clements said.

As part of an established timeline ODFW will conduct a webinar series in August, as well as more public meetings and a report to the state legislature by early 2025.

On Dobbs anniversary, abortion remains legal and protected in Oregon

2022 SCOTUS decision impacted national landscape, but recent ruling on mifepristone offers hope for ongoing safe, effective abortion access

PORTLAND, Ore. — As the nation recognizes the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24, 2022 decision that removed constitutional protections for abortion, Oregon remains committed to ensuring people have  access to comprehensive reproductive health services, including abortion.

The second anniversary of the High Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, is a stark reminder of the challenges states face in protecting access to reproductive health care. But key actions in Oregon – and another, more recent High Court decision – offer hope for anyone inside and outside the state seeking to exercise their legal and protected right to abortion.

Governor Tina Kotek said, “The two-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision is a sobering reminder that we cannot afford to lose ground ensuring access to safe, effective and legal reproductive health care in Oregon.”

On June 13, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the challenge to the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. In a unanimous decision, justices ruled that the plaintiffs in the case did not have standing to challenge the FDA’s actions, and so mifepristone continues to be available.

The ruling left in place federal regulations that permit patients to order mifepristone virtually and by mail delivery. However, the decision leaves open the possibility for future litigation seeking to restrict access to mifepristone.

Should litigation seeking mifepristone restrictions come to pass, a contingency plan Oregon put in place could temporarily keep the abortion drug available: The state secured a three-year mifepristone supply and developed a plan to equitably distribute it to eligible prescribers, ensuring patients seeking abortion services in Oregon will continue to have access to this safe and effective method.

“OHA will continue to ensure that people in Oregon have access to safe, effective reproductive care – including abortion services – when and where they need it,” said OHA Director Sejal Hathi, M.D.

Oregon’s mifepristone stockpile is just one of several actions the state has taken in recent years to keep comprehensive reproductive health services, including abortion, in place and accessible:

• Reproductive Health and Access to Care Act (HB 2002) – This comprehensive law, passed during the 2023 legislative session, protects and expands access for those seeking and those providing reproductive health and gender affirming care.
• Reproductive health infrastructure investments – Also during the 2023 legislative session, Oregon allocated $3.4 million to OHA as part of Public Health Modernization to support reproductive health infrastructure This funding created an Abortion Access in Oregon website and provided infrastructure grants to clinical service providers across the state.
• Lawsuit over unnecessary abortion medication restrictions – As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine litigation was underway, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum joined Washington State’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson in co-leading a multi-state lawsuit against the FDA to protect enhanced access to mifepristone. The outcome of this lawsuit was Judge Thomas Rice’s decision barring the FDA from making any changes that could reduce the availability of mifepristone in the 17 states that signed on to the lawsuit.
• Amicus brief in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine – Gov. Kotek and 21 other governors filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of abortion rights in Food and Drug Administration, et al., v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. In this brief, the Reproductive Freedom Alliance governors argued that if the Court reverses FDA approval of mifepristone and limits access to the vital medicine, it could undermine Governors’ ability to provide adequate healthcare services and would have far-reaching implications beyond reproductive healthcare.

“These activities and initiatives demonstrate Oregon’s recognition of reproductive health services as basic and essential health services,” Dr. Hathi said.

Individuals can access free or low-cost reproductive health services at local health departments, Planned Parenthood clinics, federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics across the state. To find a clinic, visit: healthoregon.org/rhclinics, dial 211, or text HEALTH to 898211.

Oregon Ranks as One of the 10 Best States for Hikers

Oregon is the No. 10 best state in the country for hikers, according to a new ranking. Kuru Footwear ranked the best states in the United States for hiking, looking at “five key metrics—total hiking trail reviews, number of trails, percentage of trails ranked as easy, trails rated 4.5 stars or higher, and yearly precipitation.”

Top-Ranked U.S. States for Hiking

https://www.kurufootwear.com/a/blog/best-states-for-hiking-2024

Proposed ballot measure to raise corporate taxes, give every Oregonian $750 a year likely to make November ballot

Oregon voters will likely decide in November whether to establish a historic universal basic income program that would give every state resident roughly $750 annually from increased corporate taxes.

Proponents of the concept say they likely have enough signatures to place it on the ballot this fall, and opponents are taking them seriously.

State business advocacy groups are preparing to launch a campaign against the proposed measure, arguing that it would harm Oregon’s business landscape and economy.

The proposal, Initiative Petition 17, would establish a 3% tax on corporations’ sales in Oregon above $25 million and distribute that money equally among Oregonians of all ages. As of Friday, its backers had turned in more than 135,000 signatures, which is higher than the 117,173 required to land on the ballot. The validity of those signatures must still be certified by the Secretary of State’s Office.

“It’s looking really good. It’s really exciting,” said Anna Martinez, a Portland hairstylist who helped form the group behind the campaign, Oregon People’s Rebate, in 2020. If approved by voters, the program would go into effect in January 2025.

Martinez and other supporters say the financial boost would help Oregon families buy groceries, afford rent and pay for basic necessities. “This will put money back in the local economy. It will help small businesses,” she said. “Some people say, ‘Well it’s only $750.’ But that’s huge if you really need it.”

The state Department of Revenue would be responsible for distributing the money. Every Oregon resident would be able to claim the money either in cash or as a refundable tax credit, regardless of whether they have filed personal incomes taxes, according to the ballot initiative draft.

The initiative proposal draft states that any leftover funding from the rebate would “be used to provide additional funding for services for senior citizens, health care, public early childhood education and public kindergarten through grade 12 education.”

The ballot measure campaign has received significant financial support from out-of-state supporters of universal basic income.

Oregon People’s Rebate has received about $740,000 in contributions and spent all but about $10,000. The highest contributor by far is Jones Holding LLC, a corporation based in Los Angeles and controlled by investor and universal basic income fan Josh Jones that has given $425,000. The second largest contributor is a related L.A.-based corporation, Jones Parking Inc., which contributed nearly $95,000. The third largest source of contributions are the foundation and mother of Gerald Huff, a software engineer and advocate of universal basic income from California who died in 2018. Huff’s foundation and mother have contributed $90,000 combined.

“Yes, the funders are from California, but these are not like nefarious outside interests here,” Martinez said. “These are people who are committed to basic income.”

Oregon business groups are preparing to fight the measure. State business lobby Oregon Business and Industry and tax policy research nonprofit Tax Foundation say raising corporate taxes would harm companies and lead to higher costs of goods and services.

“(The proposed measure) would impose a massive tax increase in Oregon,” Oregon Business and Industry said in a statement. “If it qualifies for the ballot, our organization will be involved in a campaign against it, and we are confident that when voters look at the facts, they will vote to reject it.”

Oregon currently brings in billions of dollars of corporate taxes every year. The state’s excise and income tax on corporations brought in 10.3% of the state’s general fund in the 2021-2023 biennium, enough to make it the second highest revenue source after personal income tax, according to the Legislative Revenue Office.

C corporations, the default type of corporation for tax status, that do business in Oregon currently pay a state excise tax of 6.6% on income under $1 million and a 7.6% tax on income above that. If a corporation doesn’t earn a net income, they must pay a minimum state tax of $150 to $100,000 based on their total sales, according to the Legislative Revenue Office. Other types of corporations pay a minimum $150 excise tax.

Oregon corporations also pay a 0.57% corporate activity tax, which is calculated from companies’ commercial activity in the state valued above $1 million.

The proposed ballot measure would increase the minimum excise tax to 3% on all corporations’ reported gross sales above $25 million. Under the proposed measure, all of that money would then be distributed by the state Department of Revenue to all Oregon residents who live in the state for more than 200 days of the year.

Business groups fear that the increased taxes would drive corporations away from Oregon. “In practice, affected businesses would likely move more of their operations out-of-state to avoid” paying such high taxes, according to a report from the Tax Foundation.

The report states that corporations with high gross sales but low or no profit would be taxed unreasonably high amounts. A corporation with a low 3% profit margin would have to pay all its profits from sales above $25 million in Oregon taxes.

Martinez said the opposition from business groups does not surprise her. “It’s a tale as old as time,” she said. “Corporations don’t want to pay their fair share. They pay so little compared to everyday Oregonians. We all have really thin margins and we manage to do it.” (SOURCE)

Portland Pickles To Be First Team To Sell Thc-Based Seltzers At Events

(Portland, OR)  —  An Oregon summer-league baseball team is now the first sports team in the U.S. to sell cannabis-based refreshments at games. The seltzer drinks will be available in passion fruit and lemon flavors. They’ll be available for fans 21 and over.  The Pickles say the Portland Parks and Recreation department gave them the thumbs up.