Oregon

News

Now that Oregon voters have agreed to end nearly all criminal penalties for drug possession, state officials have just over two months to set up a new recovery-focused system, a task that is particularly complicated due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Oregon became the first state in the nation to decriminalize the possession of all illegal drugs and also legalize the use of psilocybin-the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms-for mental health treatment, after voters passed a pair of ballot measures this week.

SALEM -- Officials in an Oregon county who have tried to restrict commercial marijuana growing are suing the state in federal court, asserting that while pot is legal in Oregon it remains illegal under federal law, which has supremacy.

The top federal prosecutor in Oregon on Friday pressed for data and details about the scope of the state's role as a source of black market marijuana.

Letters

It's disingenuous of Seamus R. Fallon ("Oregon Drug Law Change Can Help Families," Letters, Nov. 24) to insist that two grams of cocaine is one-third the amount a drug dealer would typically carry. What is the source for such a statement? Based on my experience as a high-school teacher, few of the drug users in their teen years are "drug dealers." They are constant consumers, many on a daily basis, of stimulants of any kind. Two grams of cocaine is easily quartered for four classmates to afford a half-gram each, plenty to get amped up, behind some brewskis, especially for diminutive teen girls. None of the group is "a dealer" in the sense Mr. Fallon proffers his straw man; they are end-users for the dealers.

Mr. Fallon's letter highlights one of the unappreciated strengths of our federal republic when compared with most other countries:

To the editor: David Clear makes an interesting argument about marijuana production and retail sales. It seems our city council was duped after Prohibition was repealed, for at some point, the council must have approved sale of alcohol in our town.

Richard Nixon's war on drugs, announced in June 1971, had one purpose and one purpose only: to create a tool to harass, persecute and incarcerate the hippies and blacks who were protesting the Vietnam War, according to an article in the current Harper's magazine.

Oregon has an 18-year history of legal medical marijuana use. The program works and has brought an improved quality of life to thousands. Like other pioneering efforts (death with dignity, same-sex marriage, increased minimum wage, vote by mail, etc.), it has not resulted in the sky falling.

The Oregon Health Authority meeting on Jan. 27 at the Medford library was a total disaster. OHA failed to notify the 33,000 Oregon Medical Marijuana Program patients who live in the Rogue Valley. OHA is totally rewriting the the OMMP administration rules for medical marijuana. I would like to think the Oregon Health Authority would notify OMMP patients of rule changes that will make most growers unable to provide the medicine they need on a daily basis. OHA is suppose to take care of the sick people in Oregon, not make them worse.

The Jackson County Planning Commission is recommending a ban for growing marijuana on most land zoned for rural residential use. Rules changes would require plants would have to be set back from neighboring property lines by at least 250 feet? Guess that eliminates 95 percent of the 4,000 small medical marijuana growers that are doing it for patients that need the medication. Jackson County Commissioners are favoring large commercial marijuana growers that can afford to buy large parcels of farm land and have 1,000-plant grows.

Writer states regulated marijuana market would be safer. To the Editor: I was quoted in the Dec. 16 issue of the Blue Mountain Eagle regarding the county ordinance to ban the commercial growing and selling of marijuana in the county. I am not in favor in any way that underage youngsters have access to marijuana. But the reality is that youngsters do have access, and it is easy for them to get it. But they are getting it from an unregulated market.

Opinions

The OLCC Is Dragging Its Feet on Recreational Licenses, and the Clock Is Ticking WHEN THE Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) was tasked with handling Oregon's adult use cannabis program-AKA the recreational weed sales that we have come to know and love-the news didn't send massive throngs out dancing in the streets. To say that Oregonians have a complex relationship with the OLCC is an understatement.

A Plea for Descheduling Cannabis NOT LONG AGO, I wrote about the slight, slim chance that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) would reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule II [Cannabuzz, July 6]. You remember what Schedule I is-it's the list of drugs defined as having "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." Along with cannabis, some of the other drugs listed as Schedule I are heroin, LSD, ecstasy, peyote, and Quaaludes. Not exactly respectable company.

No Rescheduling Cannabis, But Plenty of Other Activity WHAT'S WITH all the federal weed law action? My head is spinning!

What to Read Before-and After-You Get High HELLO THERE! Do you enjoy reading? How about reading about cannabis? I ask because if you're reading this column (or if it's being read to you by a service monkey using typing-to-speech-recognition software), it seems like you might enjoy some books on cannabis. I certainly hope so, because this week's column is about four of them. You could get them all through Powell's or many local, independent booksellers.

Links

This web site has been provided by DrugSense and is used in conjunction with the DPFOR email list.

The old home page of the now defunct Portland chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

The home page for the Salem chapter of Medical Cannabis Resource Center.

Medical Marijuana resources

We are dedicated to effecting positive change in the legal, social and political spheres with information and action in support of cannabis (marijuana) and the many people who use it.

Voter Power advocates for reasonable, fair and effective cannabis laws and policies, and educates, registers and empowers voters to implement these policies.

Willamette Valley NORML Eugene, OREGON

Papers