T
The420Guy
Guest
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.
Pubdate: Wed, 19 Feb 2003
Source: Oregon Daily Emerald (U of Oregon, OR Edu)
Copyright: 2003, Oregon Daily Emerald
Contact: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Website: Daily Emerald - Home
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.
Pubdate: Wed, 19 Feb 2003
Source: Oregon Daily Emerald (U of Oregon, OR Edu)
Copyright: 2003, Oregon Daily Emerald
Contact: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Website: Daily Emerald - Home
