Tiller, Oregon is an idyllic riverside town. It’s bordered by national parks, with abundant resources and enough infrastructure to support a handful of residents. It also happens to be for sale, and while it will most likely be turned into a housing development of some sort - the 256-acre plot of multi-use land is also getting plentiful interest from the cannabis industry.

A new recreational marijuana retailer has opened in South Salem.

Locally owned marijuana business Herbal Remedies opened a new location Friday at 3940 Commercial Street SE between McDonald’s and camera store The Shutterbug. The new Herbal Remedies location features, for instance, a “bud bar” where customers can view and smell different kinds of marijuana through special clear containers.

"Basically, I'm hoping that we can just grow into the future of Salem," Herbal Remedies co-owner Jered DeCamp said. "I want to be a staple in Salem."

Idaho license plates line the parking lots of Huntington's pot shops.

Idaho Governor Butch Otter hates weed. Not only is his state one of the last without any sort of medical or recreational marijuana program whatsoever, Otter has even recently gone on record urging Trump to pursue a federal crackdown on states with legal marijuana laws. But despite the governor’s disapproval, Idaho’s residents are getting their hands on the marijuana they want elsewhere, and it’s bringing much needed financial relief to one struggling Oregon town.

Producer of cannabis-infused edibles dominates Colorado market, builds on brand platform for national expansion

As the company prepares for growth into new markets, Wana Brands--Colorado’s No. 1 infused gummie manufacturer--has expanded its ranks with the addition of marketing expert, consumer analyst and award-winning fine artist Julia Bright as Brand Manager. Wana Brands co-owner Nancy Whiteman made the announcement. Bright is based out of Wana Brands’ Boulder headquarters and reports directly to Whiteman.

Cannabis is legal for medical patients in 29 states and all of Canada. It’s legal for all adults in eight of those states and in Washington, DC. But in most of those places, smoking, vaping, dabbing and even eating cannabis are illegal anywhere except private locations with the property owner’s permission.

Whether your product is medical or recreational, most Americans who seek to consume simply can’t, legally, from Washington state to Washington, DC.

Fortunately, some on-site consumption establishments have figured out ways to serve their customers without anyone serving time. Some are modest and homey, almost like stoner rumpus rooms. Others are sexier and closer to the Amsterdam ideal. Some are mobile. Others are arty. One might resemble a downscale dot-com.

Small town America is disappearing. Less people are living in small towns and more people are flocking to urban areas and suburban areas where jobs are more common. It’s something that has been going on for decades. Small towns have fragile economies, often revolving around one or two major businesses. When those business, or the industries they are in, go under the towns usually go with them.

Oregon lawmakers worried about a nationwide crackdown on legal marijuana under President Donald Trump’s administration are rushing to protect the personal information of pot customers in case federal agents try to seize it.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is taking one of the first direct state actions in response to White House spokesman Sean Spicer last week suggesting a boost in enforcement of federal anti-marijuana laws.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said this week that the Justice Department is reviewing an Obama-era memo giving states flexibility in passing marijuana laws.

The states that have legalized recreational marijuana — a multibillion-dollar business — don’t want to hear the federal government talk about a crackdown. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown says she wants Oregonians left alone to “grow these jobs.”

In Oregon alone, that’s roughly 12,500 jobs, said economist Beau Whitney of Portland, adding that he is making a conservative estimate. Oregon’s attorney general said she would be duty-bound to fight to protect the state’s cannabis industry.

Plumb will speak at TechfestNW this March 23-24 at the Portland Art Museum.

WW spoke with him in advance of his TechfestNW appearance about agriculture, medicine and the moon.

Are there other arenas outside of agriculture?

Another big subject is cannabis therapeutics—exploring some of the emerging technology allowing us to augment quality of life. We're able to bring chemistry and genomics into the equation to serve people into a specific fashion, working with seizure disorders, IBS, chronic pain, issues that occur if you're an oncology patient.

Pot lounges could come to Oregon.

You've seen hookah and cigar lounges, but did you ever think you'd see marijuana lounges?

Oregon Senate Bill 307 would make it legal to smoke marijuana at temporary events. That's the language used in the bill, but it boils down to this -- the pot lounges that you hear about in places like Amsterdam would be legal here, too.

A pediatrician who spoke to NewsChannel 21 Tuesday on behalf of the Oregon Pediatric Society brought up another piece of legislation he thinks the new bill would undermine.

"It weakens the Clean Air Act," Benjamin Hoffman said. "Which is a really essential component in reducing exposure to secondhand smoke."