Bill Would Turn Cultivation Rights Over To The State For about nine years Madeline Martinez has grown marijuana to treat her degenerative disc and joint disease under Oregon's medical marijuana law. "It has enhanced the quality of my life," says Martinez, who prefers not to be pumped full of pharmaceutical drugs to relieve her pain. However, Martinez's days of growing her own medicine will be over if a bill in the legislature passes. Legislators behind the recently introduced bill claim that the private system of growing medical marijuana is too unwieldy and needs stronger regulation. They've introduced a bill that would end the private production of medical marijuana in Oregon, putting all cultivation and distribution under the purview of the state. [continues 715 words]
To The Editor: I have been watching the growing rhetoric concerning Measure 33. As written now the law falls way short of the needs of most patients. One ounce in your possession and three at the grow site does not allow for the amount that most would get at the harvest, and does not allow enough to get through the non-growing season. Measure 33 corrects these problems by allowing enough to be stored for the annual needs of patients. What about those who cannot grow their own or find a caregiver that can do it for them? Dispensaries would solve this problem. There are 10,000+ registered patients in Oregon. Many of them cannot find a secure source of the medicine they need. As it is now these ill people have to beg for their meds or go to the black market to get them. This measure would eliminate this humiliation and risk to these seriously ill people. These dispensaries would be licensed by and overseen by the state, which would create a safe reliable source of medical marijuana for these ill people. This is not about legalization. It is about a reliable source for this safe, effective medicine. Vote Yes on 33. Jackie Thomas Mosier, OR [end]
