Wine country in Oregon's southern counties of Jackson and Josephine is slowing becoming weed country. The legal cannabis market has overtaken the region in both sales and employee salaries, according to a report from the Mail Tribune.
The two counties alone are home to more than a quarter of the state's cannabis license applicants, the report states, with nearly 1,000 applications in the region filed with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), the main regulatory body for the state's legal cannabis market.
With just over 40 wine-related businesses operating in Jackson County, including wineries and vineyards, the cannabis industry has surpassed its boozy rival. It's established 37 farms and nearly 20 dispensaries now employing 439 people, 89 more than the wine industry.
