Sutherlin Voters to Decide Marijuana Business Ban, Local Sales Tax

SUTHERLIN, Ore. - Two measures on Sutherlin’s Nov. 3 ballot will ask voters whether to repeal the city’s ban on marijuana facilities and approve a local tax on retail marijuana sales.

The proposals are separate decisions. Measure 10-217 addresses whether state-licensed or registered marijuana businesses may operate in Sutherlin after regulations are updated. Measure 10-218 would establish a 3% local retail marijuana tax, with collection dependent on the city allowing those sales.

What Measure 10-217 Would Change

Sutherlin voters approved a prohibition on marijuana facilities in 2016. Measure 10-217 would repeal that prohibition, contained in Chapter 8.18 of the municipal code, effective upon an update of state-authorized regulations.

The existing ban covers several types of businesses, including medical marijuana processors and dispensaries, along with recreational marijuana producers, processors, wholesalers, and retailers licensed by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission.

If the measure passes, facilities would remain subject to state requirements and applicable local rules, including zoning and land-use regulations. Approval would also make Sutherlin eligible for a share of state marijuana tax revenue, according to the ballot summary. A rejection would leave the existing prohibition in place.

What Measure 10-218 Would Do

The second measure would authorize a 3% city tax on marijuana items sold by licensed retailers within Sutherlin. That tax would be added to applicable state taxes.

Approval of the tax measure alone would not authorize marijuana businesses to open. The ballot summary states that the tax would take effect only if the city’s prohibition is repealed and retail marijuana sales are subsequently authorized. Otherwise, it would remain inactive.

Voters can support or oppose each proposal independently.

Campaign Supports Local Access, One-Store Approach

Safe Access Sutherlin is advocating for both measures. Its organizer, Brett, described the effort in an email to The Roseburg Receiver as a grassroots campaign he started and currently runs himself.

A Sutherlin resident for more than 20 years, Brett said he served in Iraq with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in 2003. After his honorable discharge, he struggled with sleep, anxiety, and pain. He said cannabis became part of how he managed those challenges, shaping his interest in local access.

He said he believes a local regulated business would help residents who have difficulty traveling outside Sutherlin and could keep more spending in the community.

The campaign supports pursuing a single retail store with local oversight. Brett emphasized, however, that passage would not itself guarantee a one-store limit. That would be a policy goal the campaign would advocate for with the city.

Revenue Estimate Depends on Sales

In its fact sheet, Safe Access Sutherlin estimates that a retailer with freeway visibility could generate $100,000 or more annually in city tax revenue. The campaign acknowledges that its projection depends on actual sales.

That figure is a campaign estimate, rather than a revenue amount promised by either measure. At a 3% local tax rate, generating $100,000 from that tax alone would require about $3.33 million in annual taxable retail sales.

Brett identified public safety, potential business locations, local regulations, the number of businesses, and realistic revenue expectations as questions deserving attention as voters consider the proposals.

The official ballot language for both measures is available through Douglas County Elections.