cannabisnews.com: Voter Power Seeks Marijuana Law Reforms Voter Power Seeks Marijuana Law Reforms Posted by CN Staff on February 19, 2003 at 11:06:51 PT By Kevin Feeney Source: Oregon Daily Emerald 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. Kevin Feeney lives in Eugene. To contact Voter Power, visit its Web site at: http://www.voterpower.orgSource: Oregon Daily Emerald (OR)Author: Kevin FeeneyPublished: February 19, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Oregon Daily EmeraldContact: ode oregon.uoregon.eduWebsite: http://www.dailyemerald.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Voter Power http://www.voterpower.orgHemp & Cannabis Foundationhttp://www.thc-foundation.org/Medical Marijuana Backers Seek To Expand http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15477.shtmlCenter Supports Medical Marijuana Use http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15473.shtmlCouncil Increases Marijuana Finehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15453.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by FoM on February 19, 2003 at 21:41:12 PT puff_tuff I posted the article and didn't check this link first but thank you very much. It's a really good article. Thanks for the sad news Nuevo Mexican. I'll keep my eyes open for more on the raid.Nice to see you Virgil. Thanks for the information and link. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Nuevo Mexican on February 19, 2003 at 21:25:36 PT Oh, Canada: compassion club busted in Victoria.... Here's the link FOM: POLICE RAID VICTORIA COMPASSION CLUB http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=238833&group=webcast [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Virgil on February 19, 2003 at 21:18:54 PT Your friendly pill pushers Sixty minutes did a segment that had a person say the pill companies are no better than the illegal drug dealers. Sell, sell, sell. It did say once Prozac came off patent its sales fell 80%. The new pill to get market share is the first anti-depressent meant to be taken weekly. The sell, sell, sell attitude had people receiving this Prozac-weekly pill in their mailbox even though they were not even on anti-depressents.The Guardian had an article where the US is still blocking attempts to get needed medicine to impoverished countries- http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,898527,00.html Here are the opening paragraphs:"Bush blocks deal allowing cheap drugs for world's poor" by Charlotte Denny in GenevaWednesday February 19, 2003 The Guardian George Bush's close links with the drugs industry were last night blamed for the failure of talks in Geneva aimed at securing access to cheap medicines for developing countries. Delegates at the World Trade Organisation expressed frustration after the US again rejected a deal that would have loosened global patent rules to enable poor countries to import cheap copies of desperately needed drugs. "We believe that governments should maintain their distance and should not be directed by pressure groups," one EU trade official said. Negotiators said a solution to the deadlock lay in America's hands. "The pharmaceuticals lobby is running the show in Washington," one development activist said. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by puff_tuff on February 19, 2003 at 21:13:16 PT Marijuana Crusader A Marijuana Crusader Defends His Healing MissionBy ED ROSENTHAL http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.02.21/oped1.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment