Two of Central Oregon’s largest commercial real estate firms will not broker leases for landlords or tenants looking to rent property for marijuana-related businesses, their representatives said Friday.

“We took a very active role about a year ago to evaluate the risk that our company and our clients might be exposed to in this evolution of new recreational product,” said Pat Kesgard, a partner and principal broker at Compass Commercial Real Estate Services, in Bend. “We have decided that we will not represent a tenant or a landlord in a lease (for a marijuana-related business). We’ve conferred with our attorneys and we’re just not going to go there.”

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is expected to have temporary regulations for marijuana business operations in place by January and permanent rules in place by June. The OLCC begins accepting license applications for marijuana growers, processors, retailers and wholesalers Jan. 4. [Read more at the Bend Bulletin]