Senator Barack Obama

Senator Obama has publicly promised that he would not use federal resources to circumvent state medical marijuana laws.  Sen. Obama also voted against the Coburn Amendment, an amendment in the U.S. Senate that was intended to undermine state medical marijuana laws and place medical cannabis patients at greater risk.  Senator Obama recently reiterated his promise to not undermine states' medical marijuana laws in his recent campaign stop through Oregon.

In a recent interview with the Willamette Week , Obama boldly and unequivocally stated that he would halt the federal Drug Enforcement Agency raids on Oregon medical marijuana providers, stating, "I would because I think our federal agents have better things to do, like catching criminals and preventing terrorism. The way I want to approach the issue of medical marijuana is to base it on science, and if there is sound science that supports the use of medical marijuana and if it is controlled and prescribed in a way that other medicine is prescribed, then it's something that I think we should consider."

Further, Sen. Obama has been one of the few major presidential campaigns to emphasize the injustice of our current criminal justice system.  He has promised to create a prison-to-work incentive program and give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence in drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than severe prison terms.

Senator Obama was given an "A" rating by the Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana , a project of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) , that pushes the presidential candidates of both major parties to take strong, public, positive positions on medical marijuana during the 2007-2008 primary campaign in New Hampshire.

 Senator Hillary Clinton

Senator Hillary Clinton recently stated that raiding medical marijuana grows would not be a high priority of her Justice Department.  telling the Willamette Week that she doesn't believe that it is "a good use of federal law-enforcement resources to be going after people who are supplying marijuana for medicinal purposes."  Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana also gave Sen. Clinton an "A" rating.

Senator John McCain

Senator McCain has pledged to continue the failed and mean-spirited raids against medical marijuana patients that have plagued us through the Bush Administration.  John W. McBush apparantly doesn't feel compassion for sick and disabled patients and is willing to waste limited federal law enforcement resourses to prevent patients from utilizing a beneficial medicine recommended by their doctor.  Sen. McCain deservedly received an "F" grade from Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana.  

Oregonians, remember  to vote in the presidential primary by May 20th.  

Late Friday night, on the March 21st edition of the HBO show "Real Time," hosted by Bill Maher , Representative Barney Frank (D--MA) announced his intention to file a bill that would remove all federal penalties for small amounts of marijuana.  This bill would free up valuable federal resources, save taxpayers' billions of dollars, and improve the lives of patients across the country.   Frank stated that he thinks "its time for the politicians in this one to catch up to the public. The notion that you lock people up for smoking marijuana is pretty silly."

Representative Frank demonstrated that he is a man of his word by filing HR 5843 (Act to Remove Federal Penalties for Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults).  Rep. Frank's proposal would eliminate all penalties for possession of up to 3½ ounces of cannabis and non-profit transfers of up to 1 ounce.

Also, Rep. Frank joined long-time Drug War critic, Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) , in filiing HR 5842, the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, which would end the federal intervention in states that have passes laws allowing the medical use of cannabis.  

Please contact your representatives and urge them to support these bills.  Representatives Frank and Paul have shown great courage by standing up for such  common-sense proposals, but they need our help and the help of their collegues.  While these proposals likely won't be signed into law by George W. Bush, it is important to build our movement for the future.  We will never change federal law without starting somewhere and building upon that initial support.    

Arguments draw line: criminals vs. patients

The Oregonian

Sunday, February 10, 2008 

Your editorial calling on legislators to reject a reasonable compromise and pass a bill that would allow any employer to fire any medical marijuana patient is misguided.

You cite the fact that 16,000 patients are registered in the medical marijuana program as evidence of abuse. Anti-marijuana forces hoped there would be few patients benefiting from medical marijuana because they don't want to admit that marijuana has a positive side. The reality is that marijuana has proved to be a safer, more effective medicine than many pharmaceutical alternatives. That is why more than 2,600 Oregon doctors have recommended marijuana for their patients.

Additionally, many carefully controlled scientific studies conducted since Oregon voters passed the medical marijuana law have confirmed what the doctors and patients know from experience. Marijuana is safe and effective for some patients when used properly. Marijuana relieves suffering.

Your call to fire medical marijuana patients won't make our workplaces safer. The business interests that want to fire patients have admitted that they can't cite a single example of a workplace accident caused by a medical marijuana patient. Focusing on marijuana and ignoring the risks from workers who are impaired from alcohol, prescription drugs or just plain fatigue is whitewashing the real problem.

What we really need in the workplace is impairment testing. This would help employers identify workers who are dangerous to themselves or others regardless of the reason.

JOHN SAJO

Director, Voter Power Southeast Portland

John Sajo was named LTE Writer of the Week by the Media Awareness Project (MAP) for this letter to the editor of The Oregonian.  The Media Awareness Project is a worldwide network dedicated to drug policy reform, working to inform public opinion and promote balanced media coverage.  

MEDICAL MARIJUANA NO THREAT TO SAFETY

Source: Mail Tribune, The (Medford, OR)
Copyright: 2008 The Mail Tribune
Author: Laird Funk
Note: Laird Funk of Williams is one of the authors of the original Oregon
Medical Marijuana Act and vice chairman of the Advisory Committee on
Medical Marijuana, though he writes as a private citizen.

"The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" cried Chicken Little. 
"Emergency! Emergency!" cries Don Harmon ( guest opinion, Feb.  17 )
with just as much connection with reality.  For over three legislative
sessions, Harmon has proclaimed an emergency in the workplace because
some workers use marijuana therapeutically.  He wants to fire any such
person, no matter when or where that use occurs.  It is a safety issue,
he says.

Oregon law says, "Patients and doctors have found marijuana to be an
effective treatment"| and therefore, marijuana should be treated like
other medicines;"|".  In most workplaces there are established
guidelines for other medicines and therapeutic marijuana is best
treated like them.  If there is an issue of impairment, Oregon law
already allows impaired workers to be removed, no matter the cause.

Still, that is not enough for Harmon.  I have watched Harmon testify
before three Legislatures that Oregon needs "Emergency" legislation so
employers can fire therapeutic marijuana users at will.  He and a small
crew of ditto-heads speak in alarmed tones about problems caused by
those workers.  Yet when Rep.  Peter Buckley asked directly how many
accidents had ever been caused by a therapeutic marijuana using
workers, the answer after a long silence was "None." So much for the
"Emergency!"

Given the lack of accidents, focusing on therapeutic use of marijuana
as a cause of workplace impairment sees misguided, at best.  Yet Harmon
claims that one of the biggest dangers to the workplace is the "well
documented" abuses of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program , abuses
which can only be solved by essentially demolishing the program.  He
cites the existence of almost 18,000 registrants as being a problem for
employers and evidence of abuse.  But is it?