A hemp field in Jackson County shrouded by wildfire smoke.
Hemp farming has increased dramatically in Southwest Oregon, since it was federally legalized in 2018. Today, Jackson and Josephine Counties grow more commercial hemp than any other part of the state. That’s created concerns about illegal water use in rural communities. Jake Johnstone manages Southwest Oregon for the state water resources department. His office just finished the first ever audit of water used by hemp farms. JPR’s Erik Neumann spoke with Johnstone about what they learned. He starts by asking how the idea came up.
Jake Johnstone: The complaint volume had gone up significantly. Folks getting into the hemp industry became a very large commitment of time for staff on verifying whether or not there was a legal source of water.
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2020 has been a stressful year. The election, wildfires, a pandemic, and now… the holidays. JPR’s Erik Neumann spoke with Sean Connolly, an older adult behavioral health specialist with the Rogue Valley Council of Governments about how to maintain your mental health in spite of everything this season.
Sean Connolly: When it comes to kind of the stress of the holidays, don t put too many expectations on yourself. Realize that it s okay to do the bare minimum at this point. I saw a video online that was talking about how horrible things are, ‘But at least today I put on pants.’ I think that s kind of a good lens to look at things from at the moment. You know, just put on pants today and that s good enough.