Posted on 09/12/2004 12:38:01 PM PDT by cryptical
SALEM, Ore. -- A measure on Oregon's Nov. 2 ballot to expand the medical use of marijuana is drawing fire from state district attorneys and the White House drug czar, who says it would turn the state into a "safe haven for drug trafficking."
Measure 33 would make it easier for ailing people to obtain marijuana and allow them to possess more of it -- up to a pound at a time. It also requires that indigent patients be given free marijuana.
But White House drug czar John Walters, echoing criticism by Oregon's district attorneys, calls Measure 33 a fraud on Oregon voters and a back door attempt to legalize marijuana.
"People are being played for suckers," Walters said in an interview from Washington, D.C. "Their compassion for sick people is being used to do something that's destructive for the state."
Proponents say, however, that Oregon's current program is too restrictive and that Oregonians already have shown they support allowing ill people to have the drug by overwhelmingly approving the 1998 law.
The chief petitioner for the measure is John Sajo, a longtime marijuana activist who sponsored an unsuccessful 1986 ballot measure to legalize marijuana. But he said that isn't the issue in Measure 33.
"Our opponents don't have any good arguments against medical marijuana, so they call this a legalization measure. That is nonsense," Sajo said.
Measure 33 would represent a significant expansion of Oregon's medical marijuana program, which was approved by the state's voters in November 1998. Oregon is among nine states with medical marijuana laws. The others are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada and Washington state.
Under Oregon's current law, qualified patients are allowed to grow and use small amounts of marijuana without fear of prosecution as long as a doctor says it might help their condition.
The measure on the Nov. 2 ballot would create state-regulated dispensaries authorized to supply up to 6 pounds of marijuana per year to qualified patients, although they could possess only 1 pound at any given time.
The current possession limit is 3 ounces, an amount that advocates say is too low and often leaves patients scrambling to find enough marijuana to ease their suffering.
The initiative also would expand the number of health care professionals who can recommend marijuana for their patients. Right now only physicians and osteopaths can do that; the measure would give licensed naturopaths and nurse practitioners that authority as well.
The Oregon District Attorneys Association opposes Measure 33 mainly because of the provision allowing patients to possess 6 pounds of marijuana a year plus 10 mature plants. That would give patients enough pot to smoke a joint every hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, said Benton County District Attorney Scott Heiser.
The Oregon Medical Association, representing more than 7,000 physicians statewide, has paid for a page in the state Voters' Pamphlet to urge Oregonians to vote "no" on Measure 33.
"It is a thinly disguised effort to legalize the use of marijuana without any medically scientific justification," it said.
This is one area where I differ from most conservatives. The drug "war" is a scam. We allow poppy crops to continue growing in Afghanistan and then spend millions trying to stop heroin here in the states. The whole thing is ridiculous. For the most part pot is harmless, if the government had a clue they would profit from it and take the crime off the streets by legalizing it. Larry Elder shares this view of the drug war. The old "it leads to harder stuff" adage is wearing thin.
Hard drugs like meth,crack,heroin etc are pure evil but pot,its harmless.
It leads to consumption of junk food.
Indigent patients to be given free marijuana!!! Oh my god, can you imagine all the pennyless eurotrash that are going to come flooding in to Oregon...!
Re-legalize now before these socialists get more of this nanny state legislation through! Lord knows the people do not need to be supporting indigent tokers. Let the people reap what they sow already. It is the right thing to do.
That and the fact that half the narcs would have to find honest work.
Lions and Tigers and Pot, Oh My!
Geez...even the worst stoner doesn't have a pound of grass on hand at any given time. Hell, under most (if not all) drug statutes, possession of over 4 ounces is deemed as possession with intent to distribute.
I find it so strange when society is doing everything it can to practically criminalize tobacco while it seeks to legalize marijuana (a drug that, when smoked, has several times more tar and carcinogens than tobacco).
"(a drug that, when smoked, has several times more tar and carcinogens than tobacco)."
I don't know that's true. There are so many chemicals in cigarettes. Granted joints don't have filters but you don't smoke 30 a day either.
Isn't Oregan already a stoner haven? I always thought there were lots of dirty hippies up in those parts. William F. Buckley has stated(years ago I might add) that this drug war is lost and eats up some 75 billion a year in public money. 50% or more of people lin prison are there on drug charges. Just another issue where the government isn't listening to the people.
Actually if you use a vaporizer you have nearly zero carcinogens. Plus, people don't smoke as much pot as they do tabacco so it evens out. Keep in mind there is not one documented case of cancer from smoking pot.
"Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men."
"Marijuana is taken by ... musicians. And I'm not speaking about good musicians, but the jazz type."
"Marijuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing."
"Their compassion for sick people is being used to do something that's destructive for the state."
Something that's destructive for the state...hmmmmm
"several times more tar and carcinogens than tobacco"
Nobody smokes two packs of joints a day! NOBODY!
That shouldn't be too hard...what with all the stoners who can't be productive members of society.
But what the hey...I don't mind if someone wants to fry their brain. To each their own. Me, I'd just recommend that those people sign away any and all claims that society or the government owes them any support after they screw up their lives.
I mean, it's bad enough that I have to support illegal aliens, welfare bums and other dregs of society. I'm not about to subsidize another group of brain-addled chumps.
With all the tar and carcinogens in marijuana, THEY DON'T HAVE TO!
For zero carcinogens, use Marinol.
"any and all claims that society or the government owes them any support"
It would take a socialist to make those claims.
This leads me to ask the question... are we STILL arresting people for smoking pot? Come on... what a damn shame..
The War on Drugs is the biggest FRAUD ever perptrated on the American people.. It costs an obscene amount of money, and all it does it enrich the most violent criminals.
It illegal for somebody to somke a joint in their own house? That is a huge travesty of justice... a guy can drink a six pack at his own house.. and then possibly beat his wife and kids... how many people smoke pot and beat their wife and kids...
I challenge anyone who thinks it's a good idea to arrest people for pot... to.. one one given night.... drink a whole six pack of beer all by yourself in about 2 hours...take note of the way you feel.
Then on a seperate night.. smoke some pot.... and then once again take note of how you feel... okay then compare the two sensations... which one do you think should be legal and which one not?
It's abusrd and the drug war is a big scam.. it is doing NOTHING .. absolutely NOTHING to curb drug use... drugs are everywhere.. readily available, more so now than ever....all those billions spent... to make people like Escobar rich. Do you think if drugs were legal the criminals would get rich? Picture two drug-selling gangs in a turf war... picture one shooting at the other one, and missing hit target and hitting a 12 year old girl in the head and then fleeing... now tell me if drugs were legal how would that happen?
When will people realize you CANNOT prevent people from doing what they are DETERMINED to do?.. there is nothing government can do about that... the harm being caused by the drug war is so well hidden to some.. but SO obvious to me, I can't believe how people don't see it.
PS: I am a non-smoker/non user/recovering addict... I KNOW first hand the damage done by drugs, I have felt the agony first hand. (I have 3 years clean by the grace of God..an extra prayer always helps, too, if anyone can spare it)
When I was using, the general attidude and the law only serves to excaserbate(sp?) the problem. and is, right now as we speak, causing millions of user to go out and keep using instead of getting help. Or they go on Methadone which is only a state-sponsired addiction that is MILLIONS of times harder to get off than say heroin or oxycontin. And the government is doing all it can to make the availability of Buprenex as difficult as possible for addicts to obtain. (A drug that mitigates withdrawal symptoms while coming off of oiates, just like Methadone, but does NOT cause physical addiction itself and the person can be CLEAN in 10 days) Methadone was invented by the nazis, did you know that? intersting tidbit there whihc I recently learned.
The descisions on drugs should be made by DOCTORS and SCIENTISTS and not by POLICE and POLITICIANS, and then the country will be much better off.
To me.. the conservative viewpoint *is* legalization, that that is the view I hold.
Bones.
It would take a socialist to make those claims.
Nonsense. It is reality that drug abusers siphon off society at every turn. It is reality that our governments ends up keeping those dregs of society alive with assistance. That's just reality.
And you wonder why the rest of us think druggies are out of touch with reality? LOL!
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