A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing an Oregon county of constitutional violations for destroying $2.5 million worth of hemp while claiming it was illegal cannabis.
However, the Oregonized Hemp Co. will be allowed to revive its complaint against Josephine County under an alternate legal theory or to make additional constitutional allegations. Last year, the company and its owner, Justin Pitts, filed a lawsuit claiming that law enforcement officers from Josephine County and other local governments seized 6,700 pounds of industrial hemp from a greenhouse in April 2020.
Though the hemp was produced under valid registrations from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, law enforcement officials claimed in a warrant that the material had more than 0.3% of THC.
Cananbis is illegal under federal law and is regulated under Oregon law, but the warrant alleged the greenhouse near Williams, Ore., was not permitted by any state agencies that oversee hemp or marijuana production. The hemp was moved to the greenhouse from another facility several months before the raid, but the company said that ODA was notified of the transfer. No criminal sanctions against Pitts were filed after the seizure, according to court records.
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