Initiative Petition 131, the so-called Oregon Crimefighting Act, pushed by right-wing Republican Kevin Mannix , will be pulled from circulation, Mr. Mannix informed The Willamette Week .  Mannix claims that lack of resources has caused him to end this ill-advised boondoggle even though the effort recieved a $50,000 contribution from Save Our Society From Drugs (S.O.S.), a Florida-based organization that works to treat patients like criminals all across the country.  Mannix and his cronies were attempting to mislead Oregon voters by hiding the repeal of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (OMMA) behind provisions that increase the punishment for sex offenders and drunk drivers, while also establishing a taxpayer-funded Marinol prescription drug program that would cost hard-working Oregonians millions of dollars.

While we have won a major victory in 2008, the fight to preserve the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program continues as Mannix stated that he may try to abolish the program in 2010.   

Instead of showing compassion for sick and disabled patients, Mannix and S.O.S. work to put patients behind the bars of jail cells. Don't be fooled by Kevin Mannix and his political cronies --their proposals won't fight crime, it will create new crimes and treat law-abiding patients as drug dealers. 

Treating patients suffering through severe and debilitating medical conditions like cancer as criminals will divert our limited law enforcement resources from combatting violent and serious crimes as thousands of patients are investigated, arrested, convicted and jailed as common criminals.  We have witnessed such ill-advised tactics at the federal level as the Bush Administration has chosen to arrest medical marijuana patients and providers instead of allocating those resources towards fighting violent criminals and terrorists.  Further, Mannix hopes to waste millions of dollars on a boondoggle prescription drug program for an ineffective drug that patients don't even want!

Upcoming Voter Power Events 

PDX Patient Resource Days, the 2^nd Sunday of every month from 2pm-5pm

Medford Patient Resource Days every Wednesday from 1pm-6pm

PDX Spaghetti Feeds, the 4^th Sunday of every month, 1pm-6pm

PDX Bake Sale, May 4^th, 11am-6pm

PDX Rummage Sale, June 7^th, 11am-6pm & June 8^th, 2pm-6pm

PDX Grow Classes, May 18^th, 2pm & June 15^th, 2pm

Voter Power is Oregon’s leading cannabis reform organization.  We were formed in 1998 to help pass the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act and to stop the criminalization of personal amounts of cannabis.  After both campaigns won in November of 1998, Voter Power has led the fight to protect and improve Oregon’s marijuana laws.  Currently, Voter Power is the only state-wide marijuana reform organization fighting to legalize medical cannabis dispensaries.  Our proposal will provide medicine to patients in need and generate millions of dollars for the state of Oregon, helping protect our program from people like Kevin Mannix as voters and politicians will be very unlikely to abolish a program that earns the state millions of dollars.  Please sign our Regulated Medical Marijuana Supply System initiative and help patients in need and protect our program.  We are also collecting signatures to grant adults the constitutional privacy right to possess cannabis in their own homes.  We hope to have both initiatives on the ballot in November 2010. 

www.voterpower.org

503.224.3051

PO Box 3586, Portland, OR 97208