Pubdate: Wed, 19 Feb 2003
Source: Oregon Daily Emerald (U of Oregon, OR Edu)
Copyright: 2003, Oregon Daily Emerald
Contact:  http://www.dailyemerald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1518
Author: Kevin Feeney

VOTER POWER SEEKS MARIJUANA LAW REFORMS

On Feb. 10, the Eugene City Council approved a fine increase for marijuana 
possession, despite protests from the medical marijuana community.

Citizens raised concerns that the fine increase would affect patients who 
could not afford the $150 registration fee required by the state medical 
marijuana program.

Patients who cannot afford the $150 fee are forced to obtain marijuana 
illegally and will become subject to the increasingly severe fines if caught.

The effect may be to force patients who need marijuana to ease medical 
symptoms into a treatment program they do not need.

However, recourse may be available.

On Feb. 8, Voter Power, a local nonprofit organization, held a signing 
party for OMMA2, an initiative to amend the state's medical marijuana law. 
If the initiative gathers the required signatures and makes the ballot, 
Oregon will be able to vote to decrease the cost of Oregon's medical 
marijuana program from $150 to $20. If the initiative is successful, all 
Eugene residents who require medical marijuana will be able to afford it. 
This, in effect, will counteract any problems posed to marijuana patients 
by the recent fine increase by the City Council.

Yet the initiative is more ambitious still.

Some of the changes it will make include protecting medical marijuana users 
from losing their jobs because of their marijuana use; create dispensaries, 
so patients do not have to acquire marijuana on the streets; protect 
out-of-state visitors who are legally recognized to use marijuana by their 
own states; and increase the number of plants patients are allowed to 
personally grow from seven to 10.

Though ambitious, each change the initiative seeks is a change based on 
problems arising out of the original medical marijuana initiative passed in 
1998. Several patients have been fired from their jobs for their lawful use 
of marijuana.

Some patients cannot harvest enough marijuana to treat themselves from the 
seven plants they are allowed to grow. As well, patients are currently 
unable to legally obtain marijuana until their plants mature, a process 
that takes several months.

The initiative offers a timely opportunity for Oregon to reassert its 
support of medical marijuana.

The Bush administration has made it a top priority to shut down medical 
marijuana dispensaries in California and has been harassing patients and 
providers with excessive federal raids and threats of legal action.

Currently Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont and 
Wyoming are considering legislation to allow medical use of marijuana.

If each bill passes, medical marijuana will be legal in 15 states.

By reasserting their support for medical marijuana, Oregon voters can join 
these states to force the Bush administration to respectfully address this 
situation.

Voter Power formally filed OMMA2 on Friday. Medical marijuana patients and 
the citizens of Oregon will have to gather some 100,000 signatures to 
ensure enough valid signatures exist for ballot placement.
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