“We don’t have any special plans in place,” Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara says.
Captain Nathan Sickler of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office says, “we don’t anticipate any type of increase in calls for service or criminal activity as a result of that.”
As of October 1, 2015 it will be legal for anyone 21 and older to purchase recreational marijuana at dispensaries. Local law enforcement anticipate an uptick in people visiting the state to purchase pot, but say they’re not beefing up patrols.
Chief O’Meara says, “Us (Ashland) being the first city on I-5 when you get into Oregon we might see some marijuana tourism. People ask me what I plan to do about that, my answer is I don’t plan to do anything about it.”
“We’re going to have just our normal patrols out,” Captain Sickler, “Our deputies are going to enforce the law to the best of their abilities.”
Police say they will be keeping their eyes peeled for impaired drivers, and smoking in public places, and will ensure that the recreational drug is not in the hands of minors.
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