HinesSight

What happened to the Oregon legal marijuana horror show?

The title of this blog post came to mind while driving around this afternoon listening to Classic Vinyl on satellite radio when I heard one of the greatest rock songs of all time, Cream's Sunshine of Your Love from 1967.

If you're too young to recollect the brilliance of Cream, here's a video of a 2005 performance. 

I smoked a lot of marijuana during my days at San Jose State College, 1966-71. Cream was one of our go-to groups to listen to while high. So listening to the song got me thinking both about how us pot heads used marijuana back then, and how it is being used in Oregon now.

A big difference, of course, is that weed is legal in my state. It also is considerably stronger, from what I've heard, than the marijuana available in the 1960's. 

My fellow hippies and I used to drive around stoned. We drove motorcycles stoned. We played pool stoned. We traversed the freeway to San Francisco and back again at night stoned. We played frisbee stoned. In fact, we did just about everything stoned. 

And not once, not ever, did we have any sort of accident while stoned. Try doing all that we did while drinking heavily. Likely the result won't be pretty.

Which goes a long way toward explaining why there have been so few reports of "stoned driving" accidents or deaths here in Oregon since marijuana was legalized in 2014. Nor have there been significant reports of under-age marijuana users suffering from ill effects of the Demon Weed.

All of that and more was prophesied to occur by opponents of Measure 91, the marijuana legalization initiative. Supposedly Oregon would become a cannabis hellscape -- stoned drivers killing themselves and other people, teenagers becoming zombies, increased use of hard drugs once people got a taste of being high.

When I go in to buy some Indica from my favorite store (the strain I like for relaxing in the evening), I'm given a Seasoned Smoker discount. I like that term, even though from age 21 to shortly before marijuana became legal in Oregon I didn't imbibe a single toke.

But that sure wasn't the case in my college years -- where I ended up graduating "With Great Distinction" from San Jose State, having written some of my best essays while high. Thus it doesn't surprise me that marijuana has caused so few problems in Oregon. The reason is simple:

Marijuana has few negative effects, especially when compared with alcohol. And CBD, which I take three times a day for general health promotion, has essentially zero negative effects, just a bunch of positive effects. 

One thing I can say, though, is that the positive side of getting high sure is a lot different for me now that I'm almost 72, as compared to when I was 19.

I think a large part of ehe difference can be attributed to the famous "set and setting" notion. Set refers to the mindset of a psychedelic drug user, while setting refers to the physical and social environment. 

After my fairly staid freshman year, my life at a college in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960's was thoroughly suffused with hippie ideals. Flower Power. Summer of Love. Jefferson Airplane. Haight Ashbury. Make Love, Not War. Don't Trust Anyone Over 30. LSD. All that stuff.

When we smoked marijuana, we were also inhaling an entire lifestyle.

Plus, we were young, crazy, uninhibited, carefree. Now, I use a PAX vaporizer, because I'm concerned about my lungs. I sit in a warm bath, checking my iPhone, then reading a thriller book. Getting high has a whole different feel from when, back in college, we'd spontaneously decide to drive to Santa Cruz in the middle of the night so we could see the sun rise over the ocean.

Now I struggle to stay awake through the KGW TV evening news that ends at 11:35 pm. 

What hasn't changed, though, is my appreciation for marijuana. It relaxes me. It resets my frazzled mind, especially now when the upcoming election is causing nightmarish visions of four more years of Trump to dance through my head. It makes me feel more at one with the world, less ego-centered and anxious. 

So many thanks to those who paved the way for legal marijuana in Oregon, especially the tireless advocates for Measure 91. In November I'll celebrate the six-year anniversary of Measure 91's passage with some fine Oregon-grown cannabis. And hopefully also celebrate Joe Biden's victory.

Not all vaping is dangerous. Vaping cannabis flower is safe.

I ingest THC and CBD by vaping every day. It's my substitute for a nightly glass of red wine, because I believe cannabis is more beneficial and safer than alcohol.

So it bothers me when reports of vaping illnesses and deaths (including two here in Oregon) make it sound like all kinds of vaping should be given up.

What appears to be dangerous is vaping e-cigarettes containing nicotine, and vaping THC cartridges that contain additives and oil.

A Vox story today, "THC vape products appear to be the main culprit in the mysterious lung illness outbreak," says: 

Investigators appear to be getting closer to uncovering one of the main causes of the outbreak of mysterious lung injuries linked with e-cigarettes: vaping products containing THC, the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis.

On Friday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said that while they haven’t figured out exactly which chemical or device is making people sick, the majority of the cases in both national and state studies to date appear to involve THC-based vaping products. Many of them are illicit products labeled with brand names such as “Dank Vape.”

Note the mention of products, chemical, and device. That's because manmade THC cartridges, not the natural loose-leaf cannabis flower, have been implicated in the vaping illnesses.

The cartridges are used with vaping devices. They contain concentrated THC that is considerably stronger than cannabis flower. I used to use THC cartridges, but now only vape ground cannabis flower in my much-beloved PAX3 vaporizer. 

I buy cannabis flower ("buds") that's been tested in accord with Oregon cannabis growing/selling regulations. I grind it into small pieces using my Santa Cruz herb grinder. Then a small amount of ground cannabis goes into the heating receptacle of the PAX3 vaporizer. 

A little goes a long way.

Vaping cannabis flower is far removed from my Cheech & Chong'ish college days in the late 60's when we'd roll joints out of whatever was available on the black market: flower, leaves, seeds... it all was rolled up and smoked.

Which meant we were inhaling, not surprisingly, smoke. Not so with vaping, where, not surprisingly, vapor is inhaled. A PAX web page explains:

A vaporizer is an electronic device that heats dry herb or concentrated cannabis to release vapor. Vaporizing does not combust the plant material, reducing odors. Vaporizing herbs has its roots in ancient history. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about the use of hot stones to create steam vapor baths as early as 440 BC. We’ve certainly come a long way from using rocks, with many electronic options of varying sizes and capabilities on the market today.

Thus it isn't vaping that is dangerous.

What's causing illnesses and deaths is something in a product that's being vaped. Note in the quotation above that a vaporizer can heat "dry herb or concentrated cannabis." It's the concentrated cannabis that health authorities are worried about, not the dry herb (cannabis flower).

Now, I realize that experienced marijuana consumers already know what I've talked about in this blog post. My intended audience is other people who hear "you should stop vaping" and jump to the conclusion that all varieties of vaping are dangerous.

They aren't. A comment on an Oregonian story about vaping illnesses got it just right.

Why SelectCBD.com isn't accepting VISA

I'm a believer in CBD, the non-psychoactive component of cannabis/hemp. I've read enough about CBD to decide that taking it for general health promotion makes sense, since I take quite a few supplements for the same reason. 

SelectCBD.com has been my main source for CBD drops, which I take twice a day.

But around ten days ago I saw that the site wasn't accepting VISA, just MasterCard, due to "technical issues" with their payment processor.

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NEXT DAY UPDATE: This is either a bit of synchronicity, or this blog post has magical powers (my favored explanation!), since today I got this message from Select CBD. Note, however, a comment from another CBD provider that I'll copy in below.

Hello!

  

We have good news! After the long wait, we are now able to accept Visa payments again. Even better, we are now able to accept Discover and American Express as well. Thank you so much for your patience as we worked out these improvements.

  

As promised, we want to make it up to you. Instead of $10 off, we'd like you to enjoy 20% off your entire order. Please use the one-time use code VISA20 at checkout, this will be valid through the end of June.

Please note that discount codes cannot be used in conjunction with other offers and promos. That said, if you originally had a coupon code applied that you feel gives you better savings, then please use your best judgment as these savings will not be able to be retroactively applied. 

 

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our team.

Best wishes,
Select CBD Support
------------------------------------

 

OK.  But I wanted to get their CBD for pets, since our dog has a chronic liver problem that's gotten worse recently, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to see if CBD could help her. 

So after a few days of seeing that the technical problem was still preventing me from using a VISA card  (I don't have MasterCard), I emailed the support staff at SelectCBD, asking how long the technical issues would take to be resolved.

I didn't get an answer then. However, I did get a free bottle of chicken-flavored CBD drops for pets, which was much appreciated.  

Yesterday I emailed the support staff again, noting that it sure seemed like this must be more than a technical problem. Here's part of the response I got:

Hi Brian,

Thanks for reaching out to us. 

We do apologize for any inconvenience you're experiencing through this matter. We are experiencing issues due to the fact that our credit card processing merchant has decided to drop all CBD accounts with no notice. We were caught off-guard by this just as much as you and our other customers were. This is the current state of our industry, as it's very new and we're treading on new legal ground. There are a lot of grey areas and land mines for us to step on just like this one. 

PayPal doesn't accept payment for CBD products either. You can find this information with a little bit of research. 

We are currently in discussion with a new merchant but these things do not happen over night, hence the long wait. 

So that's the reason. I suggested to the support staff person that being a bit more open about the problem on their web site would be better than simply saying "technical issues."

After all, I felt more empathy for SelectCBD after learning why they can't accept VISA. Here's what the site currently is saying about the problem.  (Hard to read, due to the small type.)

SECOND UPDATE: Here's a comment another CBD seller left on this post. I wanted to share it in the post itself to give it more visibility. It's really disturbing that both CBD and THC forms of cannabis get singled out for financial and legal discrimination when other much more dangerous products, such as alcohol and tobacco, are sold without any problem.

Hi Brian,

This frustration is real for both merchants and consumers. I run an ecommerce CBD site, and we are with the same processor/bank as Select.

To make matters worse the processor/bank with the most clients, Elavon/US Bank, is shutting down all CBD processing as of today (May 15th, 2019). The processor SelectCBD and we are with is not Elavon, but a high percentage of CBD ecommerce sites are currently looking for a new home to process payments due to the Elavon/US Bank exit.

The information we are hearing is that the few banks that are currently accepting applications are only taking on large clients right now. I've heard minimum per month processing for new merchant accounts right now with some of these banks is in the 500k/month range. We have applications with multiple processors and they are saying our application could take at least 3-4 weeks due to the number of applications they have.

The shutting down of Visa payments from our processor was immediate with no warning on April 30th. Our transactions were 80% visa prior to the visa issue. To say the least, it has been a significant impact to small businesses such as mine.

I hope this adds a little color to your post.

- Mark H. from EarlybirdCBD

Bill Maher's criticism of the PAX3 vaporizer was misplaced

I love Bill Maher and his Real Time show, which always ends with "New Rules."

But the March 22 show missed the mark when Maher criticized the newest version of the marvelous PAX vaporizer -- which in my highly (so to speak) informed opinion is the best way to imbibe marijuana. 

(Note: I live in Oregon, where pot is legal, so don't bother notifying the police about my nefarious behavior.)

In the video below you can see that Maher claims that the new version of the PAX doesn't include a raised mouthpiece. Well, actually it does. Here's the photographic proof.

First, my gold PAX3, with the extra raised mouthpiece attached.

Second, the list of what's included with the PAZX3.

Third, a diagram of the raised mouthpiece, also from the contents list.

I'm glad that Bill Maher and I share a fondness for PAX vaporizers. I've used the original PAX, the PAX2, and now the PAX3. They aren't cheap, but they're easy to use -- without the complicated button presses that Maher correctly criticizes in the video below. 

You press a button to turn the PAX on. You shake it to see how much of a battery charge remains. And that's all I've ever done with it. Oh, other than put ground cannabis in the receptacle that heats up to what seems to be a perfect vaporizing temperature. 

And yes, I do agree with Maher that the raised mouthpiece is preferable to the non-raised mouthpiece. I just wanted to point out that PAX gives users a choice of mouthpieces.

Cannabis cartridges are a long (good) way from rolling a joint

Well, it's been a couple of years since I last wrote about how to imbibe marijuana. Time for an update from this 69 year old baby boomer who is still learning new cannabis tricks in our happy new world of legal pot here in Oregon and elsewhere.

As I said in "Tips for 'vaping' marijuana if you want to go first class," there's a lot to like about buying cannabis flower/buds, grinding it up, and vaporizing the weed rather than rolling a joint -- which was usually the only way we Flower Children smoked it way back in the late 1960's. 

Vaporizing, or vaping, has no smell associated with it. And a little goes a long way, since none of the marijuana goes up in wasteful smoke. Inhaling on a vaporizer, like my much-beloved Pax 3, causes the heated cannabis to release its THC, CBD and other good stuff into the lungs. There's very little throat irritation, if this is a concern.

But periodically loose-leaf vaporizers need to be cleaned. I use a couple of pipe cleaners, several Q-tips, and alcohol. I clean my Pax 3 about once a week after using it daily in the evening as a mood relaxer, along with a glass of red wine. And grinding the flower so it vaporizes better is another periodic chore, albeit not an onerous one.

So I've been gradually edging into using cannabis/hash oil cartridges. These contain concentrates of THC, CBD, or a combination of THC and CBD. They're typically screwed onto a battery, or pen, that heats the oil when inhaling happens, though some batteries are disposable, with the oil integrated into the battery.

I enjoy the Select CBD-only disposable pens, which can be ordered from anywhere in the United States. CBD has numerous health benefits without the psychoactive effects of THC.

Yesterday I bought a couple of high THC Select cartridges, one a Sativa strain and one an Indica strain. Basically, Sativa is more uplifting and energetic, while Indica is more relaxing and couch potato'ish. The cartridge boxes have wine-like descriptions on the back. 

The Sativa Purple Haze (86% THC) is billed as "earthy, sweet, relaxed, creative." The Indica Blue Cheese (84% THC) is described as "cheese, blueberry, relaxed, sleepy." 

The budtender who helped me at the cannabis store pointed me toward a new battery/pen that looked so cool, I had to get one. It's called the Palm, by CCell/Weeplus. You screw a connector onto a cartridge, then drop the cartridge into a magnetic slot on the battery, which is considerably more powerful than the pen I'd been using.

An enthusiastic (and high) woman describes the virtues of the Palm in this video.

I can testify that what she says is accurate, especially her "this will fuck you up," if I remember those words correctly. 

Wanting to try out both the new Sativa and Indica cartridges I'd bought, plus the CCell Palm battery, I soon realized that (1) the cartridges were potent and (2) the Palm is quite a bit more powerful than the battery I'd been using with cartridges. So four puffs on each cartridge, which usually leaves me feeling good but not wiped out, hit me much harder than I expected.

Well, live and learn. 

For a few hours I was flying higher than I'm used to, which made me feel a bit uneasy. I'm pretty sure that it was the more potent Palm battery that made most of the difference, since there seemed to be considerably more vapor produced from it -- a positive fact, and one that I'll keep in mind next time I use the Palm. 

So if you get one, my advice is to start with fewer inhales than you're accustomed to. This is especially good advice for anyone starting to imbibe cannabis, either from a fresh start or after a long dry spell. 

Opinions differ about how much stronger marijuana is these days, compared to back in the 60's. There was "good stuff" back then comparable to what's available now. However, the concentrates in cartridges or in some other form definitely have a more intense kick than smoking a joint, or vaporizing. 

The Select products reflect this. They have a Social brand of cartridges for people who want THC, but not a giant high.

Social is a low potency cannabis vape brand designed for any occasion. A mild high for people visiting areas with recreational marijuana, and anybody else who just needs a mellow dose of THC. 

Parents with a little time alone can puff discreetly and quickly return to normal function. Baby boomers, scared away by the arms race of ever-increasing THC levels, can return to recreational cannabis enjoyment. Share Social with friends at a reunion, a special night out with friends, or other Social event.

By contrast, this is the description of the high THC Elite brand that I flew high on.

Select ELITE elevates your cannabis enjoyment to a higher level with luxuriant terpene-infused oil. This top shelf cartridge packs a powerful punch with our highest concentration of activated THC. Single source terpenes are reintroduced into our Elite oil after the distillation process for strain specific flavors and effects.

Select ELITE natural flavors serves up a sophisticated, sublime, and singular experience. Bursting with THC, this top shelf cartridge fuses natural flavors with a smooth inhale. Treat your tastebuds and stimulate your senses.

Tom Huth talks about how marijuana makes life better

I love Tom Huth's paean to the benefits of daily marijuana smoking in his New York Times piece, "How Getting High Made Me a Better Caregiver." 

I've ordered his soon-to-be-released book: Forty Years Stoned: A Journalist's Romance. Huth clearly is both an excellent writer and an astute communicator of the joys that cannabis brings.

Here are some excerpts from his NYT essay.

I enjoyed how, right off the bat, he speaks about something marijuana users don't say often enough: experiencing the world while high often (or usually) brings people MORE in touch with reality, not less.

Santa Barbara, Calif. — I’M 74 years old, and I have smoked marijuana almost every day since dinosaurs roamed the earth in the early ’70s. When my awareness is heightened, I’m on my game — the best I can be at thinking creatively, making decisions, focusing on my work, seeing the big picture ... and caregiving.

For 20 years my wife, Anne, has struggled gallantly against the physical, cognitive, emotional and spiritual depredations of Parkinson’s disease. For the first 15, I took care of her myself. Now I have lots of help. Either way, enjoying a hit or two on the pipe every couple of hours has granted me tens of thousands of sweet clemencies that keep me from burning out as a caregiver.

Pot is my refresh button. It restores my innocence, makes the familiar look fascinating. Not all of the time, no. But enough of the time. I’m a sunnier companion when I’m high. I have more to say even when Anne can’t muster a reply.

I also really liked the passages below.

I started using marijuana and psychedelics like LSD and mescaline when I was a student at San Jose State College from 1966-71. Back then, and maybe still now, San Jose was known as the armpit of the San Francisco Bay Area. Yet like Huth, I found that getting high made the ugly look beautiful.

Or at least, awesome. Huth writes:

Often I took Anne on road trips, to stimulate our aging brains. In the mornings, while she meditated in our motel room, I hiked around the neighborhood, through the parking lots of strip-mall America. The terrain was always shockingly disabused of its natural character.

But I took those walks stoned. So one setting was just as compelling as the next: marching through the shadows of the KFC bucket and the Arby’s hat, then back into sunshine again, through the Toyota dealer’s lot — the Camrys posing with their doors flung open like a chorus line — past a payday-loan shop, a Cracker Barrel, an abandoned Kmart, a pawnshop, a Petco, their parking spaces separated by paltry no-man’s-lands of spoiled grass.

Before Anne got sick, I was a travel writer who got sent away on expeditions to New Guinea and Madagascar. Now, working the seams between one mall and the next, I didn’t have to go to the ends of the earth to have experiences that would open my eyes. Marijuana excels at helping the wanderer see beauty in the ordinary.

Huth ends with some wise words.

As marijuana moves toward legalization, advocates are rebranding it as a medicine. Esoteric cannabinoids are isolated in labs to treat specific ailments. Investors are debating the venture-capital opportunities. Our old hippie habit is being turned into a medicinal-industrial complex.

Only one subject is missing from the conversation: the marijuana high. That’s strange, because it’s still why most tokers toke — not to cure anything worse than boredom, but to wake themselves up, to feel inspired and transported and elevated by glimpses of an all-consuming all-is-wellness.

The real healer, to me, isn’t some compound extracted in a laboratory. It’s the stoned state itself: that lyrical disorientation, that rush of wonder and possibility.

Marion County might ban marijuana businesses -- secretly

[September 26, 2015 update: Yes, the Marion County Board of Commissioners did prohibit marijuana businesses in the unincorporated parts of the county, aside from "grandfathering" in two currently licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. 

A vote in the November 2016 election will determine whether the prohibition on marijuana businesses continues. If it doesn't, the 3% tax on recreational marijuana sales passed in another ordinance will go into effect. 

Here's what the county Public Information Officer, Jolene Kelley, told me when I asked what happened at the September 23 meeting.

Attached are the two ordinances the commissioners approved on Wednesday. Ordinance 1358 "opts out" of the six different types of marijuana businesses described in HB 3400; however, grandfathers in current medical marijuana dispensaries in the unincorporated area of Marion County. The two existing dispensaries in Marion County may begin the early start recreational marijuana sales on October 1, 2015, as allowed under state regulations. The ordinance refers the issue to the voters for the November 2016 general election. 

 

The board also approved a second ordinance establishing a 3% tax on the sale of recreational marijuana that goes into effect based on the outcome of the November 2016 election. 

 

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Here's the files Kelley included with her message.
Download 09-23-2015 ORd. prohib marijuana bus in unincorp areas
Download 09-23-2015 Ord, three percent tax - marijuana ]

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Wow, secrecy about banning marijuana sales and businesses is epidemic here in Marion County, Oregon.

Someone just told me about an agenda item on the Marion County Board of Commissioners' September 23 meeting, That's the day after tomorrow.  It says:

ACTION

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
1. Consider adoption of an ordinance prohibiting marijuana businesses in the unincorporated areas of Marion County, by emergency procedure. – Scott Norris 

Norris is a Marion County Assistant Legal Counsel.

Here's the agenda, which hasn't yet appeared on the Marion County web site, even though the board meeting is the day after tomorrow.
Download 09-23-2015 Board Session Agenda (1)

It seems really suspicious that the County Commissioners would take steps to prohibit marijuana businesses in unincorporated Marion County on an emergency basis.

Don't they realize that Measure 91, which legalized recreational marijuana in Oregon, was approved by voters in November 2014? Almost a year ago! What's the emergency, dudes?

The person who emailed me the agenda thought county officials were trying to avoid the uproar that followed the City of Salem putting up an agenda item regarding a possible ban on early sales of recreational marijuana just two business days before the meeting.

(See my blog post, "Salem City Council might ban marijuana sales -- secretly.")

Now the Marion County Board of Commissioners is doing the same thing. This isn't the way government is supposed to work.

But it sure seems to be the way the Republican members of the Board are trying to sneak through a ban on marijuana businesses.

Update: after I sent in some testimony to the Board of Commissioners, urging them to take more time on deciding whether to prohibit marijuana businesses, I got this reply from the county public information officer. The agenda was indeed posted last week, but it wasn't easy to find.

Mr. Hines,

Thank you for contacting the Board of Commissioners Office. I have forwarded your email for inclusion as Public Comment for tomorrow's Board Session. 

 

The Board Session agenda and packets were added to the Marion County website on Friday, September 18. Here is a link to our board session web page: http://www.co.marion.or.us/BOC/WkCalAgen.htm. 

 

Please note that the county will launch a new website on Monday, September 28, and the direct page URL (as listed above) will not longer work. You will still be able to access board session information from www.co.marion.or.us then visit the Meetings and Events page. 

 

Thank you. 

Jolene Kelley

Marion County | Public Information Officer

Tips for "vaping" marijuana if you want to go first class

Oregon, where I live, has legalized recreational marijuana, along with medical marijuana. Early sales through medical marijuana dispensaries start October 1, 2015 -- just two weeks away.

Since many people are going to either be buying pot for the first time, or getting back into imbibing marijuana after a long absence, I wanted to share my preferred approach to "smoking" marijuana.

I realize this sort of openness will sound weird to people used to Demon Weed being, well, demonized.

But on July 1 of this year marijuana became legal to use, possess, and grow in Oregon. Before too long more states will do the same, as Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon already have. In five to ten years, I suspect pot will be legal almost everywhere in the United States.

Just as there are many styles of drinking alcohol, so are there many ways of ingesting marijuana. It all depends. On lots of things. Too many to mention. 

What follows are my tips for people who, like me, want an easy, safe, efficient, classy way of imbibing pot via a vaporizer, which is the preferred way to go in my educated opinion.

Read "7 Reasons to Vaporize Weed Rather Than Smoking It, You Modern Woman You." (applies to men also, of course)

There are many types of vaporizers. If you want to go first class, the Pax 2 is an amazing product. Yes, it is spendy, $280 list price, but free shipping!

The Pax 2 strikes me as being the iPhone of vaporizers.

Great design. Simple to use. Long battery life. Elegant. This vaporizer simply works. Positive reviews are here and here. A You Tube review is here. And below.

 

You just remove a magnetic lid on the bottom of the Pax 2 and fill it with ground marijuana flower/bud.

Aside from plants and seeds, this is all that can be bought in Oregon during the early sales period at medical marijuana dispensaries-- before "regular" sales begin in late 2016 with the licensing of recreational marijuana stores.

Meaning, you can't buy extracts, edibles, or such during the early sales period. Just dried marijuana. No problem, not if you have a good vaporizer and a good grinder.

I recommend the Santa Cruz Shredder. 

There are much cheaper shredders (which grind "herbs" into small pieces for more effective vaporizing), but if you're going to go first class with the Pax 2, you might as well have a top-of-the-line shredder/grinder.

The Amazon reviews of the Santa Cruz Shredder are 5-star.

OK, you've got your vaporizer, and you've got your shredder. Now you just need to get some quality marijuana. With legal pot, this is akin to saying to a would-be wine drinker, "You just need to get some quality wine."

Opinions will vary all over the place, from "two buck chuck" to $100 bottles. Understanding the basic differences between strains is a good foundation for making your buying choices.

Check out "Sativa vs. Indica, vs. Hybrid: What's the Difference Between Cannabis Types?" The Leafly site, where this article is, also has informative reviews of specific strains of marijuana. 

Lastly, I've almost finished reading a great book, "Stoned: A Doctor's Case for Medical Marijuana." It has a lot of good information about the benefits and risks of marijuana, along with the pros and cons of imbibing it in various ways. 

The author is big on vaporizing, as am I.

Now, enjoy!

How did I know how many marijuana stores are in Colorado?

It was my favorite moment of yesterday's Salem City Club lunch event, "Marijuana: It's Legal, Now What?" And not just because I was the centerpiece of it.

The moment pointed to something profound -- yet not easily understood -- about how memory, intuition, and that well-worn adage Trust Yourself tie together. 

Salem Police Chief Jerry Moore was one of the speakers, along with Margo Lucas, owner of West Salem Cannabis, a medical marijuana dispensary that after October 1 will be selling recreational (a.k.a. "adult") marijuana.

Moore said he had done some Googling about Colorado's experience with legalized recreational marijuana. After discussing some facts about this and that, he had an audience participation quiz. 

I can't remember the exact numbers, but he said something like this:

In Colorado there are 300 McDonald stores and 400 Starbucks stores. Does anyone know how many marijuana stores there are in the state?

Immediately "800" flashed silently in my mind.

This wasn't a fact that I thought I knew, like the speed of light or when World War II ended. But along with that "800" I also had an intuition that sometime, somewhere, somehow I'd read a story about how many marijuana stores there were in Colorado.

This, along with a feeling of rightness about the "800," caused me to yell out that number after a few seconds, having noted that silence was the response of everybody else in the audience (maybe 75 people or so).

Chief Moore looked down at his notes. Paused briefly. Then said, as best I recall:

Well, Brian is on top of these sorts of things. The actual number is 827.

Or maybe it was 833, which some Googling of my own just now turned up. Anyway it was in the low 800s.

My snap reaction was to say loudly enough for everyone to hear, "I'm kind of ashamed that I know this." Moore replied with a smile and "We'll have to talk about this later." 

Afterwards, of course, I came up with some wittier rejoinders that, sadly, didn't pop into my mind at the salient moment. Such as...

This shows that pot use is good for the memory.
My drug cartel requires me to know facts like that.

What's interesting to me is how this was a good example of knowing something without knowing that you know it. If I'd been asked on a quiz show, "How many marijuana stores are there in Colorado?", I would have struggled to come up with an answer.

Now, Moore's mention of the number of McDonalds and Starbucks stores offered me a bit of a clue, since my rational conscious mind was pretty sure that the number of cannabis outlets was going to be higher. Otherwise, the audience participation question wouldn't have had as much impact.

Still, I was impressed that my subconscious mind knew the correct answer, within about 5%, and delivered it up to my conscious self in what seemed to be a fraction of a second. 

Of course, I could have been wrong. That feeling, 800 is the right number, might have been way off. Yet I trusted it enough to yell out "800." 

If I hadn't done that, if I'd sat silent in my chair, then heard Chief Moore say "The number is 827," I would have been mad at myself for not trusting my intuition. Even, I'm pretty sure, if I'd been way wrong.

By and large, I'm a believer in the wisdom of the subconscious mind.

It's best to check out what pops into conscious awareness when this is possible, or if the stakes are high (like whether a stock should be bought, or a lengthy trip taken).

However, in everyday situations like the one I was in, why not trust a feeling of this is right?

Salem City Council might ban marijuana sales -- secretly

News flash: without any warning to Salem's citizens, the City Council might move to ban recreational marijuana sales at its Monday (August 31) meeting. 

Here's a PDF version of this flyer; feel free to share far and wide
Download Hey Salem PDF

I find this outrageous, like so much the Mayor and right-wing council majority is doing these days.

My outrage is as much about the disturbing lack of public notice and transparency going on here, as the absurd notion that recreational marijuana sales should be banned in a city whose citizens approved Measure 91 by 53% to 47% in a 2015 midterm election with low voter turnout.

Bottom line, if you read no further.  Email the Mayor and City Council ASAP, telling them to cease and desist from trying to overturn the will of the people and state law. 

[email protected]

Today I learned that a "special order of business" is on the Salem City Council agenda for August 31. It is innocuously titled "(b)  2015 Marijuana Legislation (Legal)."

An agenda item link leads to a staff report. The report lays out four questions that the Mayor and city councilors are supposed to answer at Monday's meeting.

Should City Council;

(1)  Prohibit "early sales" of recreational marijuana from Salem area medical marijuana facilities that may begin October 1, 2015?

(2)  Prohibit or regulate the sale of recreational marijuana after the "early sales" period ends December 31, 2015? [Wrong! The early sales period ends December 31, 2016]

(3)  Prohibit or regulate growing or processing of marijuana?

(4)  Repeal SRC Chapter 32 - Marijuana Sales Tax - and refer a new ordinance to City electors that is consistent with state law? 

Again, let's try to wrap our heads around the outrageousness of this.

Recreational marijuana now is legal in Oregon to use, possess, and grow. Sales in stores, though, aren't expected to begin until late 2016.

So to combat the black market and start bringing in much-needed tax revenue, the legislature allowed medical marijuana dispensaries to start early sales on October 1, 2015 of some marijuana products to recreational buyers.

The early sales period ends December 31, 2016 -- not 2015 as the City Council staff report erroneously says. Here's an excerpt from a League of Oregon Cities document included in the same staff report:

When will early sales start?

Medical marijuana dispensaries may begin selling limited quantities of recreational marijuana on October I, 2015. Sales of recreational marijuana from medical dispensaries currently are set to end on December 31, 2016. At that time, recreational retail facilities likely will be operating and selling recreational marijuana. 

Thus it is bothersome that all the people who wrote, reviewed, and approved this report missed a blatant error that a senior citizen blogger in his pajamas (OK, shorts and t-shirt) noticed as soon as I started reading the report this morning.

What else are city staff getting wrong, if they missed this obvious error? The staff report comes from the City Attorney. Shouldn't Dan Atchison know the law?

Leaving that aside, it's the whole idea of banning early sales of marijuana, and even recreational sales entirely, that should cause Salem citizens to say "What the freaking hell is going on here?"

This is a big deal.

It deserves a heck of a lot more public comment and attention than a "secret" agenda item and staff report buried in a lengthy city council agenda released three days before the meeting at which the Salem City Council could initiate steps to prevent residents not only from being able to buy marijuana on October 1, but forever.

I put "secret" in quotation marks because the obscure agenda item and staff report technically narrowly comply with the letter of Oregon's open meetings law -- but certainly not with the spirit of it. 

The City of Salem Facebook page post about the August 31 meeting has no mention about a possible ban on both early and post-2016 recreational marijuana sales. Given the widespread public interest in marijuana, and Salem voters being in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana, a possible ban on sales deserves way more attention than a vague item in a city council agenda on a City web site that hardly anybody visits.

It seems pretty clear that folks at the League of Oregon Cities are working to spread anti-marijuana ordinances around the state. Two lengthy attachments from the League are part of the staff report.

The League's legal opinion, which was news to me, is that a city like Salem (where voters approved Measure 91) could ban recreational marijuana sales immediately all the way until the November 2016 general election by putting a measure on the ballot for consideration by voters.

In other words, even though Measure 91 requires a vote of the people to ban the sale of recreational marijuana (except in places where 55% or more of voters were against Measure 91) an ordinance calling for such a vote means that licensing of stores to sell recreational marijuana is put on hold until after the election.

So even though Salem voters almost certainly would turn down a ban on marijuana sales in November 2016, the conservative majority on the City Council could stop recreational marijuana stores in this town from being licensed until after the election.

All I can say is that if the Mayor or some city council members vote to ban either early or regular sales of recreational marijuana, those politicians deserve to be thrown out of office at the earliest opportunity.

People would be justifiably outraged if this happened -- both at the secretive way it was done with virtually no public notice or input, and at the "one finger salute" given to Salem voters who approved the sale of recreational marijuana by a healthy majority.

Email Salem's Mayor and City Council: [email protected]

Tell them, hands-off on banning marijuana sales in Salem, or putting additional restrictions on medical marijuana dispensaries and grow sites. 

There are some worthwhile recommendations in the staff report. But the option of banning recreational marijuana sales is absurd, the absurdity being magnified by the secretive way it is being considered. 

[Update: A commenter on this post said that when he emailed the City Council, he got back a FAQ document about the marijuana agenda item. I suspect this was rapidly whipped up after people started to email complaints about the possible ban on early (and late) marijuana sales. 
Download FAQ Marijuana Agenda Item

The FAQs don't make great sense. For example, this one is completely Orwellian, a No meaning Yes.

Q. Will Council be voting to ban the early sale of recreational marijuana?

A. No. However, Council will be asked whether they want to ban the early sale of recreational marijuana by medical marijuana dispensaries which could otherwise begin October 1, 2015. If so, action would be taken at the next Council meeting. 

Huh? That "No" is absolutely wrong. The only way early sales of recreational marijuana are going to happen under state law is through existing medical marijuana dispensaries. Repeat, the only way.

If the Salem City Council bans medical marijuana dispensaries from selling recreational marijuana, beginning on October 1, then this town won't have any early sales. It sure looks like nobody at the City of Salem understands what is going on legally. 

It also looks like somebody (Mayor? A few City Council members?) have a desire to ban early sales, or this staff report wouldn't have been requested.

Here's another error in the FAQs.

At the beginning of this post I quoted what the City Attorney is asking guidance on from the City Council. One question he asked is whether the Council wants to ban the sale of recreational marijuana after the early sale period ends on December 31, 2016.

Yet a FAQ says:

Q. Will Council be voting to ban the sale of recreational or medical marijuana?

A. No. However, as provided by recent legislation, Council could direct staff to prepare an ordinance to further regulate commercial marijuana activities. 

Well, the staff report discusses ways the Salem City Council could ban the sale of recreational marijuana here entirely -- which is a question the City Attorney wants answered at the August 31 council meeting. So actually the Council will be voting whether or not to ban the sale of recreational marijuana after the early sale period ends.]

Rural Oregon bans marijuana shops, then wonders why its economy sucks

Oregon has a well-deserved national reputation for being progressive/liberal. But everybody who lives here knows that this only reflects the vibe in western Oregon, the eastern part of the state (except Bend) being way behind the times.

Thus even though arch-conservative Glenn Beck recently named Portland the worst city in America -- which means it actually is one of the best -- he could go to most places in rural Oregon and feel right at home.

Case in point: Oregonians legalized recreational marijuana last November by a comfortable margin, passing Measure 91 56% to 44%. But in its wisdom (ironically speaking) the 2015 state legislature decided to allow local governments to ban recreational marijuana sales if Measure 91 got 55% or more "no" votes in that jurisdiction.

Deschutes is the latest Oregon county to consider “opting out” of marijuana businesses.

This spring, state lawmakers passed a bill that gives cities and counties the option to ban pot grows, processors, wholesalers and retailers under certain conditions.

Local governments can only pass a permanent ban if 55 percent or more residents voted against legalizing recreational marijuana. In Deschutes County, Measure 91 passed by 52 percent, so restrictions on pot businesses would go on the November 2016 ballot.

If counties do not opt out, commercial marijuana grows will be regulated like any other farm crop.

So far, four Oregon counties and eight cities have enacted bans. Several are in eastern Oregon, where Measure 91 — the measure to legalize recreational pot — failed by a large percentage.

Even if a county or city decides to opt out, people will still be able to grow and use their own marijuana. They just might not be able to buy it, or farm pot for commercial sale within county limits.

One of the rural areas that has banned marijuana sales is Umatilla County. Today the local newspaper, East Oregonian, castigated the foolishness of this move.

A kick in the pants to Umatilla County Commissioners for continuing their ban on medical and recreational marijuana in the county.

It was clear from the beginning that their marijuana committee was created in bad faith, originally comprised of members who had all been outspoken in their opposition to the drug. (It was only after public pressure that a pro-marijuana committee member was named, though no one representing a marijuana business or even a medical marijuana patient was party to the discussion and the board remained far from balanced.) 

So the stacked committee told commissioners what they wanted to hear. And commissioners were glad to institute their recommendation.

The only thing that recommendation will do, however, is force Umatilla County to miss out on tax revenue — possibly north of $100,000 this fiscal year, according to estimates from the state.

TopShelf, a nationwide marijuana delivery service, is already operating openly in Pendleton, giving away pot for a $25 “donation.” And you can bet they aren’t checking IDs like a state-sanctioned store would. And they sure as heck aren’t paying any taxes. The black market is alive and well in Umatilla County thanks to head-in-the-sand county leadership.

Commissioner George Murdock even wrote out an argument for continuing the ban, derisively labeling marijuana as “weird” and not in line with Eastern Oregon values.

It’s disappointing that none of the people who use medical marijuana to lighten their heavy medical ailments stood before commissioners and told their story. Although with the attitude of the three men, it’s understandable why those people were unwilling to come forward.

The lack of compassion the commissioners have for those who benefit from marijuana is something we just can’t comprehend. What is gained from banning medical dispensaries?

Still, we don’t think the ban will last long. Everything else the prohibitionists have said about marijuana has failed to come to fruition so far, and we imagine this one will soon be overturned too. Until then, it will cost the county dearly, as we fall behind on a growing industry while others forge ahead. But then again, that’s nothing new around here.

No, it isn't. 

Rural Oregon, which is mostly Republican, likes to complain about how it is falling behind the rest of the state economically. It wants Democrats, who control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature, to do more for rural economic development.

Well, I'd feel more sorry for rural areas of Oregon if they didn't keep on shooting themselves in the foot, then scream "Why am I bleeding? Why can't I move as fast as Portland?"

When rural counties and cities ban the sale of medical and recreational marijuana, an herb which is vastly superior to alcohol in every way -- safety, psychoactive effect, health benefits -- it makes them look  backward, behind the times, uncool, moralistic, uncaring about their citizens' quality of life.

Why would individuals or businesses with enough financial moxie to be able to relocate wherever they want choose to move to a rural Oregon county or city that is so stuck in the past, it has banned marijuana sales?

And why would cash-strapped governments pass up the 3% (I think it is) local tax on marijuana sales just to be able to feel all Jesus'y because they have kept stores that sell the Devil Weed out of their area? 

Stupid. It's just stupid. 

Rural Oregon is going to continue to economically lag behind Portland, Eugene, Corvallis and more with-it parts of this state so long as it proclaims "We're proudly redneck and want to keep on living as if it were 1955 instead of 2015." 

OK.

Just keep in mind that most people want to live in the present, not the past. They favor same-sex marriage, marijuana legalization, equal rights, immigration reform, and other progressive policies. Rural Oregon is free to party like the 21st century never happened. 

It also is free to remain in economic doldrums because nobody in their right mind wants to live or work in Backward Land.

Thank you, Roseburg, for being an exception: 

The Roseburg City Council meeting Monday night included more anxiety and hand-wringing than usual. For the second consecutive meeting, councilors discussed whether to adopt a citywide ordinance that would prevent medical marijuana dispensaries from selling recreational marijuana at the beginning of October.

...However, supporters argued that marijuana was approved statewide and that the economy in Douglas County could use marijuana as a cash crop. John Sajo, executive director of the local advocacy group Umpqua Cannabis Association, said that to try to further restrict marijuana and deny consumers would only drive money elsewhere.

... In the end, Eggers, Fazio, Hawks, John McDonald and Steve Kaser voted against the restriction and won the majority...Sales of recreational marijuana will begin at medical marijuana dispensaries in Roseburg on Oct. 1.

Medical marijuana and opioids in Oregon: a tangled web of confusion

Yesterday the Bend Bulletin's magazine insert, "High Desert Pulse," included a fascinating cover story: When pot means no prescription for pain -- Doctor/patient divide over marijuana.
Download When pot means no prescription for pain; Doctor:patient divide over marijuana PDF

Countless patients suffering from debilitating conditions such as MS, arthritis and post-traumatic stress disorder have made extraordinary claims about how using marijuana reversed the course of their medical conditions and turned their lives around for the better. Many report marijuana relieves physical pain better than powerful prescription opiates and even allowed them to stop taking the medications. 

But the medical research thus far has not reached the same level of enthusiasm. In many cases, no study or doctor can support or explain the often outlandish anecdotes about how marijuana cured patients’ cancer or restored their vision, for example. 

Even for its more common applications, marijuana has shown only modest results. A recent scientific review of 79 studies found only moderate evidence it helps with chronic pain and the muscle spasms that are a hallmark of MS.

And yet, the claims keep coming. 

That puts doctors — who are scientists, heavily reliant on data — in a difficult position. Do they trust the anecdotal evidence of countless people who say marijuana saved them, or do they go by what the scientific literature says? 

The answer for most has been to avoid the subject entirely, especially because the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency still considers marijuana a Schedule I controlled substance. Even in states such as Oregon that have legalized medical and recreational marijuana, doctors still face the threat of losing their licenses or prescribing privileges if they’re found to have recommended marijuana to patients.

A major point of contention among doctors, medical marijuana users and advocates is doctors’ refusal to prescribe opiate pain medications to patients who use marijuana. Many doctors feel that since both marijuana and opiates are sedatives, their combined effects could produce severe impairment. Prescribing the drugs to marijuana users also could expose doctors to legal liability if the patients are injured as a result. Patients argue that using marijuana eventually allows them to get off most or all of their opiates, but that it can be a gradual transition.

Kudos to reporter Tara Bannow for clearly explaining this debate over how medical marijuana and narcotic painkillers should be used to help people. As noted in the passage above, the Federal government's absurd classification of marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug (along with heroin) is one of the confusing factors here.

The article helped me understand something that has perplexed me: why do most medical marijuana patients in Oregon get their application approved by a doctor who specializes in this area, rather than their regular doctors? 

Apparently because most doctors are reluctant to sign off on a medical marijuana card because they're afraid of running afoul of the federal prohibition on using marijuana -- even though both medical and recreational marijuana are legal in Oregon.

For one, because so many primary care physicians refuse to sign patients’ approval documents for Oregon’s medical marijuana program, patients are forced to see doctors who specialize in medical marijuana approvals. That means relatively few doctors in Oregon sign hundreds of approvals for the medical marijuana program, and they tend to work out of what Le calls “signature mills.”

Newspaper stories often make it sound like this is a scam. But the truth is more that patients wanting to try medical marijuana to relieve pain, or for other legal reasons, have no other place to go than to clinics organized by medical marijuana dispensaries. 

What struck me the most about this story was a glaring contradiction.

How is it possible that doctors quoted in the piece could simultaneously say (1) Medical marijuana shouldn't be used by patients with chronic pain because it isn't effective, and (2) Medical marijuana shouldn't be used along with opioids because it has the same effects as narcotic painkillers?

Huh? If marijuana isn't effective, then what's the harm in taking it along with a prescription painkiller? And if it is effective, then why not encourage patients to use cannabis for pain relief rather than much more dangerous prescription drugs?

This chart tells the tale:

Prescription painkillers caused 16,917 deaths in 2011. Marijuana, 0. None. Zilch. Nada. Yet doctors continue to punish patients who want to use a safe herb for pain relief, pushing them toward dangerous drugs like Oxycontin.

Bogoger, whose doctors were unavailable for comment, said marijuana relieves his pain, gives him an appetite (something the pain meds took away) and puts him in a better mood. But since he’s been using it, doctors have refused to prescribe him pain medication. He said doctors look at his records, which show years of pain medications and — more recently — marijuana use, and assume he’s a drug addict trying to get high, Bogoger said.

This is crazy. Research shows that states with medical marijuana laws have fewer opioid overdose deaths. So obviously marijuana is beneficial to patients seeking pain relief, not a danger.

US states with laws that establish access to medical cannabis have lower rates of mortality due to opioid overdoses, according to a new study.

This finding suggests that some patients who used to get their pain relief from prescription opioid analgesics may be switching to medical marijuana now that it's available legally, and this transition may be associated with lower rates of mortality related to opioid overdose.

"I have treated lot of patients who have pain," said lead study author Marcus Bachhuber, MD, a primary care physician and clinical scholar, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, Pennsylvania. "Some would tell me that they tried prescription painkillers, that those didn't work, and that marijuana was the only thing that worked for their pain."

Marijuana is legal in Oregon at midnight. Praise us baby boomers!

In honor of marijuana getting to put on the July 1 glass slipper of legalization at midnight, I feel like sharing my Ex-Hippie Flower Child Top Tip on Using Psychedelic Drugs, of which cannabis/marijuana is one.

In typical baby-boomer fashion, I also will share a previous blog post where I persuasively argued why my generation, the Me Generation, deserves to soon have a big fat doobie raised to us by legally stoned Oregonians.

But first, the tip...

Back in the 60's, when anything seemed possible if people would only alter their screwed-up straight consciousness through psychedelics, Timothy Leary spoke of set and setting:

Of course, the drug dose does not produce the transcendent experience. It merely acts as a chemical key — it opens the mind, frees the nervous system of its ordinary patterns and structures. The nature of the experience depends almost entirely on set and setting.

Set denotes the preparation of the individual, including his personality structure and his mood at the time. Setting is physical — the weather, the room's atmosphere; social — feelings of persons present towards one another; and cultural — prevailing views as to what is real.

Often I hear politicians say stuff like, "I'm in favor of legalizing marijuana, but I'm not saying people should use it." 

Well, I am. You should try marijuana if you haven't before. Like Leary said: open your mind, free your nervous system of ordinary patterns.

Your mind/brain is altered by all kinds of chemicals, notably including those produced by the human body itself. In addition, so many other things are chemical keys: caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, love, sex, exercise, tobacco, hugs, patting a dog or cat.

Marijuana is just another way to jump-start an alteration in one's consciousness.

Sure, maybe you could meditate for thirty years on a hard cushion for several hours a day and get the same uplifting results. Or you can put some crushed marijuana buds in a vaporizer, turn it on, wait a minute, take a few puffs, and voila! -- you've altered your consciousness via an herb.

In a positive way. Believe that, because it is true.

This is the "set" part of set and setting, understanding that your expectations about using marijuana or any other psychedelic are going to affect your experience. 

Here's how I see the situation.

There is no Real You (or Real Me). When we use marijuana, we aren't moving away from some supposed Really Real Reality. We're just altering our consciousness, as we would by drinking a few beers, meditating, taking LSD, or engaging in hot sex. 

So don't worry about losing control of yourself when you ingest marijuana, if you've never tried cannabis before.

First, you don't have a solid stable self. Meaning, there is no constancy to you. You are ever-changing, as everything alive is. Second, consider that the part of you which wants to keep control is the same part which excessively worries and frets, rather than flowing freely with life.

Maybe the high-on-marijuana you is the better you, the you that you'd prefer being all the time. I'm not saying it is. That's for you to decide. Experiment with freeing your mind. Cannabis is way better than alcohol for accomplishing that. 

If you don't have access to marijuana now, it looks like it will be sold to recreational users in Oregon medical marijuana stores after October 1.

And now, a reprise of my August 2014 blog post, "Oregonians, please legalize marijuana to honor...ME!"

Hey, so maybe the title of this blog post sounds self-centered to you. What do you expect, dude? The author, moi, is a 65 year-old baby boomer. I'm proudly part of the Me Generation. 

So naturally I see everything as revolving around the Flower Child center of the universe that we baby boomers brought into being back in the 60's. 

Me especially, since I was in college at San Jose State University from 1966 to 1971.

You know, the Bay Area not-Stanford and not-UC Berkeley. The ugly duckling to the south. Which for me and my friends was just a short 57' VW bug smoke-filled drive away from San Francisco: Haight-Ashbury, Winterland, Fillmore, all things psychedelically bright and beautiful.

We weren't smoking cigarettes.

Oh no, we were the freaks, the hippies, the potheads, the stoners, who brought marijuana out of the societal shadows and made it, if not respectable, damn ubiquitous for our generation.

In a sense -- and I can understand if you'd like to make that "In a pitifully marginal sense" -- we were akin to the courageous demonstrators of the Civil Rights movement, the determined feminists of the Women's Rights movement, the brave initiators of the Gay Rights movement, the in-your-face protestors of the Anti-Vietnam War movement.

We set out to change society one toke at a time.

Whether zoning out to Cream, Jefferson Airplane, and Hendrix, or demonstrating that frisbee skills are not lessened one bit by being high (nor driving skills, in my experience), we were unknowingly laying the groundwork for what now seems to be a groundswell of support for changing this nation's marijuana laws.

Including right here in Oregon, this November. New Approach Oregon is going a great job with its initiative to legalize recreational use of marijuana by those 21 and over.

Enough signatures have been gathered to get on the ballot. Fund-raising seems to be going well. Endorsements are streaming in -- such as from the Oregon State Council for Retired Citizens, Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Also, the Northwest Oregon Labor Council.

Still, we can't take it for granted that the legalization initiative will pass.

So do what you can to help New Approach Oregon. Make a donation.  Add your name to their list of supporters. Most importantly, vote for the initiative in November if you live in Oregon.

Remember: this is about ME. And my generation. We're getting old. No, geez, we are old.

We deserve the honor that we'll bestow upon ourselves when weed is legalized, state by state. We'll be able to tell our grandchildren...

"Honey, when you grow up your grandpappy made it possible for you to enjoy pot without fear of the law -- a far cry from how it was in the olden times. Why, did I ever tell you..."

"Mom, MOM! Come quick! Make Grandpa Brian stop talking about his drug days. I'm afraid he's going to make me listen to his LSD stories AGAIN!"

And why not, grandchild? I was Jesus personified back in the 60's (outwardly at least). Am I not entitled to retell the gospel of my exploits with cannabis and other mind-altering substances?

In the case of marijuana, at least, a substance that cries out for sensible legalization, as ably detailed in a recent series of New York Times editorials. This shows that the times are indeed a'changing when it comes to legalizing pot. 

Which is estimated to bring in $38 million each year in taxes to benefit Oregon's schools, police, drug treatment, drug prevention and mental health programs.

A great reason, among many, to legalize marijuana. Let's just keep in mind this central reason: to honor the greatest (pot-smoking) generation, us baby boomers.  

 

How attitudes toward marijuana in Hawaii are evolving

Yesterday I walked to the Napili Market on Maui to buy the local and Honolulu newspapers, my morning ritual during our vacation at a Napili Bay condo.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser had a interesting column about marijuana by Richard Borreca. Mildly jet-lagged today after flying home on Friday, I decided my easiest blogging bet was typing in Borreca's piece -- see below-- which was hidden behind a Star-Advertiser paywall when I Googled it.

I enjoyed reading about how Hawaiian  attitudes regarding marijuana are steadily moving in the legalization direction, so wanted to share his column with others.

Here in Oregon, voters legalized recreational marijuana in November 2014. On July 1 of this year Oregonians can legally possess cannabis. It can't be sold in Oregon yet, but Washington state has pot stores and is a short drive across the Columbia River. 

(Yeah, technically it's a federal offense to transport marijuana across state lines, but Portland police will be looking the other way).

Both Hawaii and Oregon have legalized medical marijuana. Oregon did so in 1998, Hawaii in 2000. So it wouldn't be surprising to see Hawaii follow in Oregon's footsteps in a few years and legalize recreational marijuana.

Sure seems like a smart move. 

As Borreca notes, Hawaii already has some strong "brand recognition" in this area. Maui Wowie, for example. The islands are a wonderful place to kick back and relax. Adding legal pot would be a extra plus for the Hawaiian tourism industry, for sure.

Here's Borreca's column: 

Attitudes toward marijuana in Hawaii continue to evolve
Richard Borreca, Honolulu Star-Advertiser columnist
June 19, 2015

Hawaii has gone from the dull-throated roar of National Guard helicopters sweeping over homes searching for illegal marijuana plants to an ambivalent shrug at the thought of a neighbor puffing a small amount of the same prohibited weed.

Hawaii's thinking about marijuana splits from hating to loving the stuff.

When former Hawaii Attorney General Warren Price was declaring war on marijuana with Operation Green Harvest in 1989, he proclaimed that marijuana in Hawaii "has grown from a backyard problem to the largest industry in Hawaii."

Combining military resources, National Guard helicopters and county police forces, the operation ripped up an estimated 6.3 million plants, according to reports in 1996.

Critics, including a 1990 Legislative Auditor's report, said the drug enforcement effort was based on "unsystematic, intermittent planning geared to federal funding."

By 2008, Big Island voters overwhelmingly voted for a ballot initiative directing police to make marijuana enforcement the "lowest priority." In 2014 the state Supreme Court ruled the initiative illegal, noting that county ordinances can't overrule a state law saying marijuana is illegal.

Hawaii continued to be of two minds about marijuana as the Big Island County Council in 2008 voted to reject three federal grants totaling $528,000 for marijuana eradication. 

And by 2012, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration had closed its Big Island office and airport hanger, saying it was just saving money, but Hawaii County Police Department Maj. Randy Apele was quoted in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald saying that the county doesn't carry out aerial enforcement anymore.

While police and military police were rappelling from choppers to hack away at the pakalolo [cannabis], folks in Hilo were seeing the illegal weed's cash sales prop up an economy devastated by closing sugar plantations.

"I'm against legalizing marijuana and I never smoked it, but yet, I would have to say it helped the local economy," says Big Island Democratic Rep. Clift Tsuji.

"It was a cash crop," the former Hilo banker recalls.

Because it was also a cash business, there are no real figures for how much marijuana contributed to the economy, but longtime Hawaii islanders all have stories of growers buying big new shiny trucks with cash.

Conventional legislative wisdom has it that if Gov. David Ige approves a bill passed this year to set up medical marijuana dispensaries, it will make extensive marijuana farming legal.

Marijuana is illegal according to both state and federal laws, with possession of less than an ounce considered a misdemeanor punishable by 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The feds classify it as a Schedule I drug under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act.

The other side of the coin is that Hawaii's weed has already been branded and promoted. The Maui Wowee, Kona Gold, and Puna Butter cachet from the 1980s is now a drug with medical research potential.

After years of negotiating, the University of Hawaii was able to get a U.S. Justice Department permit to import hemp seeds from Australia. Hemp is a far less potent variety of the cannabis family that includes marijuana. UH hopes to start its research at a Waimanalo test site.

Actual testing with marijuana is not allowed because it is a federally prohibited plant, but if the situation changes, Hawaii should be in a position to realize major medical and economic benefits even before any action is taken on legalization.

Oregon legislature, don't screw up marijuana legalization

Big supporter of Measure 91 that I was, which legalized recreational marijuana here in Oregon in November 2014, and avid supporter that I was of Democratic control of the Governor's office and state legislature, which also transpired in the last election, I optimistically assumed that Dems would implement marijuana legalization properly.

Let's make that, over-optimistically. 

Because even though some legislators and government officials support both the intent and language of Measure 91, others are busily trying to undermine the 56% of Oregonians who voted in favor of legal cannabis.

The most egregious example of this is Senate Bill 964, which was passed by the state Senate on May 27. Among other things, it allows cities and counties to ban medical marijuana dispensaries without an automatic vote of the people -- something Measure 91 requires.

The Measure 91 folks, New Approach Oregon, explain why SB 964 is such a bad idea. 

Senate Bill 964, sponsored by Democratic Senator Ginny Burdick and Republican Senator Jeff Kruse, will allow a handful of city council members and county commissioners to ban state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries, without a mandatory public vote of the people.

This provision for medical marijuana businesses will hurt Measure 91’s voter-approved opt-out procedure, requiring a vote of the people, either in future legislation or future lawsuits. It is imperative that any opt-out procedure for marijuana businesses match the provision passed by over 56% of Oregon voters. Both The Oregonian and the Register-Guard have published editorials supporting a vote of the people.

Senate Bill 964 goes against the will of the voters and hurts the priorities of the state and even the federal government. Easily opting-out of state-regulated marijuana businesses will only exacerbate the illegal, underground market. Oregon voters want to stop treating marijuana as a crime and to bring as many people into a state-regulated system as possible; Senate Bill 964 goes against voters’ interests.

[Click here to find a list of House members to email and tell them "Vote No on SB 964"; there are a few semi-colons separating the names, though; I had to change those to commas when I copied and pasted the email addresses.]

It is indeed bewildering that state legislators would try to make medical marijuana more difficult to obtain than recreational marijuana. (I'm tempted to say "What were those legislators smoking?", but will refrain from doing so -- though, oops!, I just did.)

Consider: on the same day the Senate passed SB 964, the Oregonian reported that a plan to allow the sale of both medical and recreational marijuana in the current 200 medical marijuana dispensaries was greeted favorably by legislators and OLCC officials.

(The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is charged under Measure 91 with implementing regulations for the production, distribution, and sales of recreational marijuana.)

A concern, though, is that supposedly much of the cannabis produced by registered medical marijuana growers is finding its way into the black market. Maybe this is true; maybe it isn't. For the sake of argument, let's say that it is.

What would be some great ways to get that marijuana out of the black market and into legal distribution channels? 

Well, it doesn't take a genius to come up with two obvious ways:

(1) Allow medical marijuana dispensaries in the many cities and counties that have prevented them from opening, taking advantage of a state law that allowed temporary bans until May 2015.

(2) Allow the sale of recreational marijuana in medical marijuana dispensaries as soon as possible.

Doing these things would give those growing medical marijuana additional outlets to sell their cannabis. The best way to get rid of the black market is to expand the "white market."

Yet SB 964 would do the exact opposite, forcing lots of medical marijuana cardholders to continue to get cannabis from unregulated sources, since 26 of Oregon's 36 counties and 146 cities have banned dispensaries and could continue to do so without a vote of the people under SB 964.

Also, the Oregonian story says that the OLCC Chair, Bob Patridge, is worried about allowing sales of recreational marijuana before the end of 2016 -- which would be two freaking years after Oregonians voted for Measure 91.

So Patridge and other misguided state officials/legislators want to support the marijuana black market after it is legal for the citizens of this state to possess cannabis on July 1, 2015. Where are they supposed to get marijuana between that date and late 2016?

From the Pot Fairy? By growing their own? From their local pot dealer? The latter options are much more likely than the first, unfortunately.

However, just as relatively few people choose to grow their own tomatoes, preferring to buy them in a store, so it is with marijuana. Which, I've heard, is rather tricky to grow. At least, in a high quality manner.

Thus the smartest thing to do would be this: encourage as many medical marijuana dispensaries as possible by forbidding cities and counties from banning them without a vote of the people, and allow the sale of recreational marijuana in those dispensaries soon -- October 1 was mentioned as a possible start date in the Oregonian story.

Sure, eventually a "seed to sale" tracking system for marijuana growers should be implemented.

Until marijuana is legal everywhere in the country, this seems to be needed to keep federal officials from freaking out about the sale of cannabis, which is still crazily classified as a Class 1 illegal drug. But isn't it better to have Oregonians buying their marijuana from state-licensed outlets rather than on the black market?

A commenter on the Oregonian story, Wt Buffalo, left an insightful lengthy comment that I'll include in full in a continuation to this post. Here's some excerpts that mirror what I've been saying.

So, if you really think that Oregon Medical Cannabis grows have an over abundance of cannabis for the Black Market, then why didn't you tap the OMMP growers for the already produced cannabis, ASAP?  Or, sign them up to grow more immediately?  That would Stop the cannabis inflow to the Black Market, as fast as anything.  Dry up the supply for the Black Market and provide cannabis that could be watched, tested, inspected and regulated with contracts.

If Oregon uses the believed excess amount of OMMP produce cannabis for Recreational cannabis, wouldn't that be a much more efficient way to thwart the Black Market.  Let the OMMP illegal growers legally produce cannabis for Recreational Cannabis Market.  The vast majority of OMMP providers do not provide service illegally.  You all think that there is already enough cannabis produced to provide the Black Market.   Elusively, they are already producing enough cannabis, then use and test the cannabis for Medical and Recreational use.   

Why wait so long to open Recreational Cannabis?  The Legislator's and OLCC are costing the Oregon schools the revenues that could reduce class sizes.  Providing 40% of the collected Cannabis taxes for many much needed programs, should have been ready by July 1, 2015, about two month's from now.

Give cannabis producers a place to market cannabis legally.  Besides, the Black Market Cannabis producers are just laughing at you.  The longer you delay the Recreational Cannabis Stores, the more $$ they make.  They are also laughing about how the Legislator's and OLCC is making such a self-inflicted mess of M91.  The Black Market growers are going to continue to produce cannabis for the rest of the country laughing.

CNN Weed 3 medical marijuana special: "signs of revolution everywhere"

Sometimes (well, often) I worry about where the United States is heading.

Right-wing crazies, science deniers, government-haters, and religious zealots are doing their best to prevent this country from solving our many pressing problems. But in the midst of this negativity there are some encouraging signs of progress. 

Same sex marriage, along with gay rights, is on the verge of being universally accepted. Global warming is starting to be recognized as a major threat by more and more people. Even opponents of the Affordable Care Act are having a tough time denying its benefits.

And marijuana is rapidly losing its undeserved reputation as the Demon Weed. Here in Oregon, cannabis is now legal for both medical and recreational use (OK, after July 1 for the latter).

Watching physician Sanjay Gupta's CNN special, "Weed 3," last night, was highly encouraging. It was way more positive about medical marijuana than Gupta's previous reporting. 

I see signs of a revolution everywhere.

I see it in the op-ed pages of the newspapers, and on the state ballots in nearly half the country. I see it in politicians who once preferred to play it safe with this explosive issue but are now willing to stake their political futures on it. I see the revolution in the eyes of sterling scientists, previously reluctant to dip a toe into this heavily stigmatized world, who are diving in head first. I see it in the new surgeon general who cites data showing just how helpful it can be.

I see a revolution in the attitudes of everyday Americans. For the first time a majority, 53%, favor its legalization, with 77% supporting it for medical purposes.

Support for legalization has risen 11 points in the past few years alone. In 1969, the first time Pew asked the question about legalization, only 12% of the nation was in favor.

I see a revolution that is burning white hot among young people, but also shows up among the parents and grandparents in my kids' school. A police officer I met in Michigan is part of the revolution, as are the editors of the medical journal, Neurosurgery.

I see it in the faces of good parents, uprooting their lives to get medicine for their children -- and in the children themselves, such as Charlotte, who went from having 300 seizures a week to just one or two a month. We know it won't consistently have such dramatic results (or any impact at all) in others, but what medicine does?

It sure seems like medical marijuana is almost at the same cultural acceptance level as same-sex marriage. The debate on that issue is almost over. Now religious dogmatists are fighting over niceties, such as their supposed right to deny business services to same-sex couples.

Evidence for medical marijuana's effectiveness in treating various health problems should accumulate much more rapidly now, given what Gupta said in his newest special.

Roadblocks to federally sponsored medical marijuana research are disappearing. Interest in cannabis among medical professionals and patients is strong. Gupta showed people with post-traumatic stress, Alzheimer's, chronic pain, cancer, and other problems who are getting great results from medical marijuana.

The next step in societal acceptance is legalizing recreational marijuana.

Watching the Weed 3 special, I kept thinking, "If pot makes patients less anxious, enhances their happiness, centers them in the present moment, relieves discomfort, helps protect the brain, and fights cancer, then why the heck shouldn't it be legal for all adults?"

Especially since marijuana has few (maybe no) dangerous side effects, especially if consumed via a vaporizer -- which eliminates potentially harmful smoke. Pot is way safer than prescription drugs, as Gupta emphasized.

This pertains to a debate that began soon after my state legalized recreational marijuana last year: should Oregon end its medical marijuana program?

I tend toward "No," but can see decent arguments on both sides of the question.

While there isn't a sharp divide between "recreational" and "medical" users -- the psychological and physical benefits of cannabis accrue to both -- in general they have different needs and desires. The people who staff Oregon's current medical marijuana dispensaries are knowledgeable about the marijuana strains and potencies that are most suitable for patients with various health problems. 

Requiring medical marijuana patients to buy their cannabis in stores that serve everybody, both recreational and medical users, seemingly would be a step backward for them. Medical marijuana patients might even need to pay the $35 per ounce tax that will be charged recreational buyers.

I suspect that the Oregon legislature will hold off on ending the medical marijuana program. One of the provisions of Measure 91, the 2014 legalization initiative, was that this program would be unaffected.

So it makes sense to leave it alone for now, maybe with just a little tinkering around the edges. However, at some point I can see Oregon's medical marijuana program being terminated after the production and sale of recreational marijuana is firmly established in this state.

Free enterprise should come up with ways to serve all varieties of marijuana consumers, just as coffee drinkers have a wide variety of buying choices ranging from artisanal coffee houses to mass market mini-marts.

Some pot stores would feature "We feel your pain; specialists in medical marijuana" advertising, while others would tout "Get your buzz on!"

There will be bumps in the road, both in Oregon and nationally, as legal marijuana for all adult consumers becomes common. But it seems pretty clear that these won't stop progress toward pot being as socially acceptable as beer and wine in the near future. 

"Marijuana could be Oregon's Napa Valley": OLCC Commissioner at Salem meeting

After attending last night's Listening Tour meeting in West Salem of the OLCC (Oregon Liquor Control Commission), which is charged with implementing legal recreational marijuana in this state, I came away with a very strong feeling that, yes indeed, the times really are a'changing when it comes to pot.

Several hundred people attended the meeting. I got there fifteen minutes early, and the area set aside for seating was already filled up. Sliding partitions had to be opened up to accommodate the larger-than-expected crowd.

There was an interesting mix of folks who had come to express their views about how the provisions of Measure 91, the marijuana legalization initiative that passed with 56% of the vote last November, should be implemented by the OLCC.

As I walked to the building from the parking lot, I encountered a guy who was talking to anybody within earshot about how many children died, if I recall correctly, from alcohol poisoning last year. Thirty-six, I believe it was. 

Then he said, "And how many died from a marijuana overdose?" I knew the answer! "Zero," I told him. "Right!" he approvingly said to me.

This set the tone for the two-hour meeting.

I sort of expected that there would be some anti-marijuana types there who wanted to urge tight control over the Demon Weed. Well, if this was the case, they kept their mouths shut. Everybody who spoke from the audience was in favor of legal weed. The only debate was how to go about it.

The chair of the OLCC, Rob Patridge, kicked off the meeting with a slide show about the provisions of Measure 91. He readily admitted that he had opposed its passage, but now was committed to making marijuana legalization work.

He sounded sincere.

Still, the Oregon Legislature is in session, and several bills have been introduced that would undermine Measure 91. Governor Kitzhaber, irritatingly, is pushing for changes even before this state has gotten to see how well the carefully written and researched citizen initiative will work.

Patridge repeatedly said that the meeting wasn't about re-litigating Measure 91. Unless the legislature changes the statutory provisions of Measure 91, the OLCC has to work within its boundaries. 

Two other OLCC commissioners attended the meeting, Marvin D. Révoal and Michael Harper (I didn't recall this at the time, but his bio says that Harper played for the Portland Trailblazers in the early 1980s). Révoal was outgoing and outspoken, uttering some crowd-pleasing lines about legal weed early on:

"This is our Silicon Valley! This could be our Napa Valley!"

I believe it. There were plenty of well-dressed men and women in the audience who looked more like marijuana entrepreneurs than typical legal pot advocates (assuming there is such a thing, "typical").

Indeed, a concern expressed by several people was that big-moneyed out-of-state corporate types would come to Oregon and try to dominate the production and sale of marijuana. Clearly most in the room agreed with them, wanting the marijuana industry in this state to be much more akin to craft beer than Budweiser.

Smartly, the OLCC has hired a professional facilitator to oversee the audience participation portion of these Listening Tour meetings. Salem's was the third, the first two being in eastern Oregon.

She did a great job. This was the best organized meeting of this sort I've ever been to.

At a welcome table, attendees were given small round stickers that they could afix next to a variety of topics listed on easel boards inside the meeting room. The topics that got the most stickers were brought up first during the audience participation session that took up most of the two hours.

Each person was given green, yellow, and red cards.

These were held up to indicate agreement, uncertainty, or disagreement about a statement regarding how to implement Measure 91. The moderator would look around the room, say something like "Most people agree with this," then ask various people to explain their "vote."

Great way to run the meeting. The OLCC commissioners would chime in from time to time with questions and comments of their own, but mostly the moderator served as the neutral person trying to gauge the tenor of the audience on key issues.

The most unanimous vote was on the need for testing of marijuana products, particularly for purity. I don't think anybody disagreed that this needed to be done. (It already is, I'm pretty sure, for medical marijuana.)

Clapping occasionally burst out when holding up a colored card wasn't enough for the audience to register approval or disapproval of some statement. As already noted, "Don't allow out-of-staters with huge grows" got considerable applause.

As did, "Don't let local governments set grow limits."

During the concluding open mic comment period, this advice by someone to the OLCC was received warmly: "Don't think of ways to restrict; think of ways to benefit Oregon."

Something I said got considerable applause also. I held a red card up to a statement about requiring retail marijuana outlets to be located at least 1000 feet from schools. This question got a mixture of Yes, Not Sure, and No responses.

Being a "No," the moderator pointed at me and said, "Tell us why you feel this way." I said, best I recall:

I just haven't seen any compelling reasons why retail stores shouldn't be near schools. My daughter, who is 43, now admits to me that when she was in elementary school, she stopped by a 7-11 on her way home to buy candy. Beer and wine were sold in that store! Somehow she survived. This seems to me to be part of a Demon Weed mentality that doesn't make any sense -- the idea that marijuana is some sort of Death Ray that can zap children if they get within 1000 feet of it.

That Death Ray thought just popped into my head as I was talking. It got laughs and applause.

The next audience member called on by the moderator looked at me and said, "I agree with that guy." But then went on to explain that his worry is about the smell of marijuana emanating from a store and entering  children's noses as they walk by.

OK. However, I've walked by several medical marijuana dispensaries and never smelled anything. Plus, it isn't true that you can get high by just smelling marijuana. Unfortunately.

A story in today's Statesman Journal has more details about the Listening Tour meeting.
Download Salem pot meeting: Less regulation is more, hundreds say

One of the OLCC chairman's slides struck me intensely when it popped onto the screen at the end of his opening presentation. This is where you go to learn how Oregon state government is implementing the legalization of recreational marijuana in this state.

My feelings, in part, related to a previous blog post of mine, "Oregonians, please legalize marijuana to honor... ME!" Here's how the post started off:

Hey, so maybe the title of this blog post sounds self-centered to you. What do you expect, dude? The author, moi, is a 65 year-old baby boomer. I'm proudly part of the Me Generation. 

So naturally I see everything as revolving around the Flower Child center of the universe that we baby boomers brought into being back in the 60's. 

Me especially, since I was in college at San Jose State University from 1966 to 1971.

You know, the Bay Area not-Stanford and not-UC Berkeley. The ugly duckling to the south. Which for me and my friends was just a short 57' VW bug smoke-filled drive away from San Francisco: Haight-Ashbury, Winterland, Fillmore, all things psychedelically bright and beautiful.

We weren't smoking cigarettes.

Oh no, we were the freaks, the hippies, the potheads, the stoners, who brought marijuana out of the societal shadows and made it, if not respectable, damn ubiquitous for our generation.

In a sense -- and I can understand if you'd like to make that "In a pitifully marginal sense" -- we were akin to the courageous demonstrators of the Civil Rights movement, the determined feminists of the Women's Rights movement, the brave initiators of the Gay Rights movement, the in-your-face protestors of the Anti-Vietnam War movement.

We set out to change society one toke at a time.

Whether zoning out to Cream, Jefferson Airplane, and Hendrix, or demonstrating that frisbee skills are not lessened one bit by being high (nor driving skills, in my experience), we were unknowingly laying the groundwork for what now seems to be a groundswell of support for changing this nation's marijuana laws.

And now it's happening. Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon.  Bit by bit, these United States are looking upon marijuana in a way that seemed impossible back in the 1960's. 

Rationally. Non-fearfully. Scientifically. The meeting last night brought this home in a way that I hadn't felt before I sat with hundreds of other people to talk about legal marijuana.

OLCC marijuana Listening Tour comes to Salem today, Feb. 2

You won't read about this in our increasingly useless Statesman Journal newspaper, but the OLCC (Oregon Liquor Control Commission) is holding a Listening Tour meeting today in West Salem where people can express their views about how the recent legalization of recreational marijuana should be handled.

From the OLCC web site:

Monday, February 2
7:00PM - 9:00PM

SALEM
​Chemeketa Eola Hills, Viticulture Center
215 Doaks Ferry Road NW
Salem, OR 97304

This morning I emailed the OLCC to confirm that the meeting was happening. An OLCC staffer just confirmed that it is.

I have no idea why the Statesman Journal failed to cover this. Maybe because the paper editorialized against the passage of Measure 91?

I'm planning to attend the meeting, in part because I'm irked about how the Governor and some state legislators are trying to undermine Measure 91 before it even has been implemented. These are some main points I want to make during my speaking time:

(1) Leave Measure 91 alone. It was approved by 56% of voters last November. Implement the initiative as it was written, crafting regulations in accord with the intent of the Oregonians who voted "yes."

(2) Those who opposed marijuana legalization, like Governor Kitzhaber, shouldn't be able to weaken Measure 91 now. You lost. The voters spoke. Deal with it.

(3) The current medical marijuana sales and production system should be kept separate from the soon-to-be recreational marijuana system. One reason is that a new President, or new U.S. Attorney General, could crack down on recreational use under the current misguided federal anti-pot laws, while this would be more difficult to do with medical marijuana.

Salem likes legal recreational marijuana, voting "yes" on Measure 91

Thankfully, Salem's reputation as a conservative town has been undermined further with the recent release of November 2014 election results by precinct.

We now know that Salem resoundingly said Yes! to legalizing recreational marijuana via Measure 91: 53% vs. 47%. 

Remember that this was a midterm election with a lower turnout than general elections, especially among liberal leaning folks. Thus these results likely underestimate Salem's support for Measure 91.

Here's a chart showing how Salem compared with Marion and Polk counties, plus Oregon.
Given the very strong Yes vote for Measure 91 in the Portland area, 90% in one precinct according to an Oregonian story that mapped the results, it isn't surprising that Salem lagged a bit behind Oregon as a whole in its support for legalizing marijuana.

However, Marion and Polk counties each rejected Measure 91 by a 48/52 vote. So as noted in my previous post, "Salem, Oregon is more liberal than many people think," (also made possible by results given me by a fellow political junkie):

Salem appears to be almost as liberal as all of Oregon, while being more liberal than the two counties that contain it. 

This conclusion is borne out by Measure 91 results by ward in Salem.

As with the Obama/Romney vote in 2012, only Ward 4 and Ward 8 (far south Salem and west Salem) bucked the liberal trend in the other six wards. Wards 1 and 2 were the progressive hot spots in Salem this election also. Here's a ward map.

We can draw a couple of conclusions from these election results.

First, our so-called "community newspaper," the Statesman Journal, is out of touch with how Salemians feel about recreational marijuana. As I noted in a blog post, the paper's editorial opposing Measure 91 was so bad, it actually made the case for legalizing pot.

The times are a'changing, but not at the Statesman Journal -- which is part of the Gannett media empire and has become a near-clone of Gannett's USA Today: shallow and frothy with little substance, especially when it comes to local news.

Second, Salem's Mayor and City Council also don't reflect the views of the citizens they claim to represent. Medical marijuana dispensaries are being charged onerous fees by the City of Salem, which only recently lifted a ban on new dispensaries.

Yet it seems clear that if Salem voters were in favor of legalizing marijuana for all adults by a 53%/47% divide, making marijuana available for medical purposes probably has considerably more support.

Soon, I hope, Salem will have City officials who truly represent the majority of residents here. 

Salem City Council (sort of) endorses marijuana legalization

Last night Statesman Journal reporter Michael Rose tweeted:

Breaking: Salem City Council approves 10% sales tax on recreational marijuana if voters legalize it.

Today a story appeared on the SJ web site.

If Oregon voters in November legalize marijuana for recreational use, Salem will be ready with a new city tax on pot sales.

Salem City Council on Monday approved a city tax on sales of recreational marijuana products, including marijuana infused snack foods. The new ordinance would allow a 10 percent sales tax on recreational marijuana. Sales of medical marijuana were excluded from the tax.
Download Pot tax approved by Salem City Council

Hey, that sure sounds like a endorsement of Measure 91 to me, the Oregon initiative that will legalize, tax, and regulate recreational marijuana for adults if it passes on November 4.

After all, Salem's Mayor and city councilors wouldn't want to get tax revenues from marijuana sales if they didn't think legal pot was a fine, upstanding substance for Salemians to consume, right? No ethical elected official would welcome money from the Demon Weed, if they believed in this myth.

So thanks, city leaders, for giving an unspoken thumbs-up to marijuana legalization. Since you mostly are conservatives, hopefully this will spur your Republican/Libertarian compatriots to vote for Measure 91.

There's only a couple of downsides to the near-unanimous Salem City Council action (Laura Tesler was the only "no" vote).

First, it almost certainly is illegal.

Measure 91 prohibits cities or counties from imposing their own local marijuana taxes. Most attorneys I've seen quoted on this issue say it is very unlikely that passing a tax before the election would trump the legal language of Measure 91.

Second, it almost certainly is a bad idea.

Marijuana policy experts are calling Measure 91 the nation's "gold standard" of cannabis legalization should it pass. 

One reason is that the $35 per ounce taxation level is seen as being high enough to generate revenue for schools, law enforcement, and drug abuse prevention, while being low enough to draw marijuana users away from the black market.

Currently an Oregon medical marijuana dispensary is showing pricing of about $200 an ounce. So if the City of Salem were able to tax recreational marijuana sales at 10%, and the price per ounce also was $200, this would add $20 to the purchase cost.

Which would be on top of the $35 per ounce allowed by Measure 91. Now we're up to taxes totaling $55 an ounce, or a 28% "sales tax." 

Sure, many people would be willing to pay that much for certified, tested marijuana being sold in a store. However, others wouldn't. They'd continue buying on the black market.

Thus the tax imposed by the Salem City Council last night not only is an implied endorsement of marijuana legalization, it also is an implied endorsement of a stronger remaining black market (including the portion controlled by drug cartels) following the passage of Measure 91.

SJ anti-Measure 91 editorial so bad, it makes case for legal marijuana

Sometimes the Salem Statesman Journal's editorial positions are so poorly thought-out, they end up making the case for an opposing view. Such happened with yesterday's abysmally illogical "Legalizing marijuana would fuel failure."
Download Legalizing marijuana would fuel failure

So thank you, editorial page editor Dick Hughes. Likely you've convinced more people to vote for Measure 91, than to oppose it. 

Let's start with the title of the editorial, which is explained in its first sentence.

The War on Drugs is a failure.

Bingo! This would have been a great two sentence opinion piece if the editorial had gone on to say, "So vote for Measure 91."

Which it should have, since nowhere in the editorial is there any explanation of why attempts to partially fix the failure through legalization of an herb with proven medicinal properties, happily used by a substantial percentage of the adult population, that is much less addictive that tobacco, alcohol, and prescription pain-killers, should be kept illegal, thereby turning many millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals, with all of the needless social, law enforcement, and judicial costs this entails. 

Instead, the Statesman Journal editorial tries to argue that (1) marijuana is a gateway drug to more harmful substances, and (2) legalizing marijuana for adults in Oregon would increase use by minors.

The first contention is demonstrably false, something Hughes would have recognized if he had done more factual Googling of "marijuana gateway drug myth" and less subjective moralizing. Inaccurately, the editorial says:

Marijuana can be addictive. And marijuana can be a gateway drug.

Drug abuse experts tend to say "dependence" rather than "addiction." Yes, some people do become dependent on marijuana, about 9% according to one study. This is much less than the dependence rate for alcohol (15%) and nicotine (32%), which are both legal.

Further, people become dependent on all kinds of things.

Last night HBO's John Oliver show had a lengthy segment about sugar being as addictive as cocaine in certain ways. People also become dependent on/addicted to shopping, jogging, golfing, sex, making money, watching sports, and all kinds of other stuff. 

A Forbes article, "Research shows cocaine and heroin are less addictive than Oreos," casts more light on how simplistic and misleading the Statesman Journal's contention, Marijuana can be addictive, is.

It would be easy to mock Schroeder and Honohan’s discovery that cookies are addictive, especially since they started out knowing that Oreos are “highly palatable to rats” and then concluded, based on the maze experiment and biochemical analysis, that Oreos are highly palatable to rats.

But the study inadvertently highlights an important truth: Anything that provides pleasure (or relieves stress) can be the focus of an addiction, the strength of which depends not on the inherent power of the stimulus but on the individual’s relationship with it, which in turn depends on various factors, including his personality, circumstances, values, tastes, and preferences.

Which brings us to the even more untrue editorial contention, Marijuana can be a gateway drug.

This is part of the long-discredited "Reefer Madness" attitude toward marijuana. Modern research provides a much different understanding than Dick Hughes' reliance on unsubstantiated anecdotal references to a few local law enforcement officials who aren't experts in this area.

Circuit Judge Dennis Graves, who presides over the Marion County Drug Court, sees that often. So do Marion County District Attorney Walt Beglau and Sheriff Jason Myers.

Voters should trust solid research regarding the "gateway" hypothesis rather than biased statements from local opponents of marijuana legalization. Check out these links:

Another Marijuana Myth Bites the Dust -- The Real Gateway Drug is Alcohol
Marijuana: The Gateway Drug Myth
Risk of Marijuana's 'Gateway Effect' Overblown, New Research Shows

I found these easily. So could Dick Hughes and other Statesman Journal editors, if they had chosen to base the newspaper's editorial on objective facts rather than subjective feelings. Here's a few excerpts from the above-linked articles.

A study in the August edition of The Journal of School Health finds that the generations old theory of a “gateway drug” effect is in fact accurate, but shifts the blame for escalating substance abuse away from marijuana and onto the most pervasive and socially accepted drug in American life: alcohol.

...Marijuana is not a gateway drug. People who have tried marijuana may eventually go on to try harder drugs in search of a stronger high, and experimentation may lead them down a dangerous path toward addiction. However, the science shows overwhelmingly that for most people marijuana is not a gateway drug.

...New research from the University of New Hampshire shows that the "gateway effect" of marijuana -- that teenagers who use marijuana are more likely to move on to harder illicit drugs as young adults -- is overblown. Whether teenagers who smoked pot will use other illicit drugs as young adults has more to do with life factors such as employment status and stress, according to the new research. In fact, the strongest predictor of whether someone will use other illicit drugs is their race/ethnicity, not whether they ever used marijuana.

This fits with recent research from Colorado showing that teen use in that state, which legalized recreational marijuana for adults in 2012, is down, not up.

Teen Use Down, not up: Survey data released in early August 2014, indicate that marijuana use among high school students continues to decline, despite warnings that legalization would make pot more appealing to teenagers. 37% of high school students reported that they had ever tried marijuana, down from 39 percent in 2011. The percentage who reported using marijuana in the previous month (a.k.a. “current” use) also fell, from 22 percent in 2011 to 20 percent in 2013.

So the concluding words of the Statesman Journal editorial are utterly without support.

The drug war has failed. But Measure 91 is an even worse "solution."

Ooh! Scare quotes around "solution"!

Don't worry, though. There's nothing to fear from legalizing marijuana in Oregon via Measure 91. This is made even more clear in the cogent comments on the Statesman Journal editorial, which I'll include as a continuation to this post.

Regulating and taxing marijuana will make it less available to minors, as is the case with alcohol. As I said in one of my comments, sellers on the black market don't ask for ID. Purveyors of alcoholic beverages do. Other commenters had equally wise things to say, in sharp contrast to the unintelligent editorial.

Vote Yes on Measure 91.

The Statesman Journal acknowledges the War on Drugs has failed. Yet its editorial didn't give a single reason why Measure 91 isn't a big step in the right direction toward a coherent drug policy.

Evidence from Colorado and Washington shows that marijuana legalization is working in these states. Oregon needs to join them.

Click below for the best reader comments.

Marijuana legalization opponents make the case for legal pot

I'm feeling good about Oregon legalizing recreational marijuana in a few weeks. Measure 91 has been polling well. Donations on the "Yes" side have far exceeded those on the "No" side.

And legalization opponents haven't been able to come up with any persuasive arguments against Measure 91. 

They keep yammering about the risk to children, but this flimsy contention has been thoroughly demolished. See "Legalizing marijuana controls use by youth. Vote for Measure 91." 

Here's a few more pro-Measure 91 blog posts.
Pro-marijuana legalization clear winner in Salem City Club debate
Strangest reason to legalize recreational marijuana in Oregon

Most encouraging of all, Portland uber-legalization-activist Russ Belville has persusively demonstrated that every argument raised by the No on 91 folks actually is a reason in favor of making cannabis legal.

Brilliant, dude. I stand in awe of both your reasoning and social media skills.

Yesterday The Huffington Post ran a piece by Belville, "No on Measure 91 campaign makes the case FOR legalizing marijuana." It features five videos that show snippets from a No on Measure 91 press conference where opponents of marijiuana legalization did Measure 91 a favor by uttering absurdities.

Have a look. And read. I've excerpted key sections of Belville's post.

There's no such thing as "medical" marijuana!

 

Julie Russell, a marriage and family counselor, told the media that "The advocates of this Measure 91 want you to believe that marijuana has medicinal value, which couldn't be anything further from the truth."  It may not be shocking to hear that in Idaho or Oklahoma or Mississippi, but Oregon has had medical marijuana since 1998.  We just topped 69,000 registered patients.  Our legislature has voted to expand medical marijuana twice.  Our state government even swiped medical marijuana program money to balance other state budgets.

Kids can easily get marijuana now!

 

Connie Ramaekers, a thirty-year career drug prevention counselor, described the current state of prohibition and its effect on kids.  "The kids are telling me, they say, within five minutes they can get marijuana!  It's much easier than tobacco or alcohol to get into their hands!"

Why do you suppose that is, Connie?  Because drug dealers don't check ID!

We just can't afford to legalize marijuana!

 

Project SAM's Dr. Kimber Richter, flown in from the East Coast and put up in Portland for the weekend, joined the press conference to predict that legalization of marijuana would cost us far more than it brings in from tax revenue.  "We won't even be able to project what the public health harms will be, and the costs that we're seeing now -- the $1 in tax revenue for the $10 in social costs -- who knows where that's going to be with marijuana?"

That's the classic Sabet Conjecture -- Kevin Sabet's idea that since alcohol and tobacco cost us ten times what they make in taxes, so too would it be with far safer, non-toxic, less addictive marijuana.  Somebody in the media needs to ask Sabet and Richter and anyone else floating this ludicrous claim to quantify the $450 million in social costs Colorado's experienced, since they've raised $45 million to date in tax revenue.

There's not enough drug treatment in Oregon!

  

Serenity Lane professional rehab Dr. Ronald Schwerzler warns the media that "There's no adolescent [drug] treatment, by the way, in the state of Oregon.  You cannot get your adolescent treated.  You almost have to wait until they're 18.  By then, the damage has been done."

Well, then it is a good thing that Measure 91 devotes 25% of its tax revenue to drug prevention, treatment, and mental health programs, huh?

There will be mass advertising for marijuana to our kids!

 

The most audacious claim comes from professional rehab specialist Mandi Puckett, the head of the No on 91 campaign.  "Again, the biggest concern that we as moms have is how this is going to affect kids.  With mass commercialization, advertising, promoting, normalizing marijuana use. That's what comes along with Measure 91."

Perhaps Mandi Puckett didn't read Section 7 of Measure 91, which states, in part:  "Powers and duties of Oregon Liquor Control Commission.  (1) The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has the powers and duties... (2) includ[ing] the following (g) To regulate and prohibit any advertising by manufacturers, processors, wholesalers or retailers of marijuana items by the medium of newspapers, letters, billboards, radio or otherwise."

Strangest reason to legalize recreational marijuana in Oregon

With Oregonians starting to vote by mail on Measure 91, which would legalize recreational marijuana in this state, naturally I had to make this the theme of my most recent Strange Up Salem column in our alternative paper, Salem Weekly.

(Feel free to give Strange Up Salem a Facebook "like." Strange is good. This town is under a blah-curse, and every Like lifts it a bit.)

I called the piece, A Strange Reason to Legalize Marijuana. 

I like it a lot. After the new issue of Salem Weekly hit the streets a few days ago, I re-read the column while taking a hot bath. It blew my mind, and I had written it!

Whenever I can barely grok something seemingly important that has emerged from my own mind, I know that it must make deep good sense. Or, it's insane. One or the other. Or both.

Have a read. 

A strange reason to legalize marijuana

Here’s a news flash from the front page of modern neuroscience: “You don’t exist.” At least, not in the way most people believe they do.

We feel as if we look out upon the world as a detached ethereal consciousness floating behind our eyes, inside our head. We feel as if we’re a weightless self or soul inhabiting a body.

These feelings are wrong. The sense of self is an illusion. You, me, and everyone else are billions of neurons woven together via trillions of electrochemical connections.

Marvelously, the brain tells itself stories about how it is other than it is.

As biologist Edward O. Wilson puts it in his new book, “The self, despite the illusion of its independence created in the scenarios, is part of the anatomy and physiology of the body.”

Mind-blowing, right?

Scientifically obvious, yet shocking to our intuitive sense of ourselves as immaterial self or soul. I am brain-meat that has evolved the capacity to consider itself, if not divine, largely aloof from physicality.

Which is my philosophical neuroscientific reason for voting “Yes” on Measure 91, Oregon’s marijuana legalization initiative.

Apparently an underlying assumption of legal pot opponents is that human consciousness is some sort of pristine, pure pool of unsullied awareness which shouldn’t be contaminated by chemical substances like THC, the major psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Here’s another science news flash: the brain produces conscious awareness, and it is filled with over 100 chemical neurotransmitters.

They make us happy, horny, hungry, and so much more. Including, high.

I’m writing these words buzzed on a chemical my brain adores: caffeine. Is this wrong? Should caffeine be illegal because it alters my consciousness, increasing alertness and improving my mood?

Of course not. It’s beautiful, really, how humans can bring parts of the world into their brains, then those substances enable them to view the world differently.

We are the world. The world is us. There is no immaterial self standing apart from materiality.

So it isn’t a big deal to add marijuana to the long list of ways human brains are legally altered chemically in Oregon. Marijuana is safer than alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs. Informed adults should be able to choose their preferred consciousness-changing substance.

After all, there’s no such thing as a normal state of consciousness.

No one knows how anyone else experiences reality. If somehow this were possible, likely we would be surprised by how differently another person subjectively perceives the same objective world.

Further, whatever you or I experience in the privacy of our own awareness, it is extremely doubtful that the socially accepted definition of psychological normality is the best we humans are capable of.

Artists, visionaries, mystics, poets, meditators, and, yes, users of psychoactive drugs, along with other explorers of altered states of consciousness, tell tales of how they opened doors of perception that made them feel more in touch with reality, not less.

Vote for Measure 91. This is a wonderful way to strange up Salem, and Oregon.

Strange Up Salem seeks to lift our city’s Blah Curse. Give us a Facebook like. Brian Hines blogs at hinesblog.com

Rick Steves tells Salem why marijuana should be legal

Not being much of a traveller, I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I'd never heard of Rick Steves before learning he was touring Oregon to talk about "Travel As a Political Act: Ending Marijuana Prohibition in Oregon." 

Steves wrote a book with that title, Travel As a Political Act. His interest in making marijuana legal comes partly from his co-sponsorship of Washington state's successful 2012 ballot legalization measure.

Last night my wife and were part of a packed house, 300 people or so, in downtown Salem's Grand Theatre. This photo was taken before the event started. Eventually the balcony area and lower level were both almost filled.

It was pleasing to see way more people here than attended any of the misleadingly-named Oregon Marijuana Education Tour meetings featuring anti-marijuana legalization zealot Kevin Sabet. Sabet doesn't tell the truth about cannabis, while Steves was pleasingly honest, humorous, and candid.

Steves' 90 minute or so presentation started off on the travel as a political act theme. He said that travel opens our eyes, showing Americans that just as we think the United States is the greatest country in the world, so do people all over think their country is the best. 

Europe is his main travel focus. Steves talked about how Europeans are much more advanced that we are in many areas -- such as high speed trains, social equality, food appreciation, quality of life, and, yes, drug policies.

I recall him saying that in Belgium, or wherever, on a midweek afternoon he saw a bunch of middle-aged guys in a large rowboat drinking beer, chatting, having fun. From a bridge he yells, “What are you doing? Is this part of a festival or something, a special event?”

“No,” one yelled back. “It’s just Wednesday. We take off work and do this every week at this time.”

Steves went on to say that Europe produces the same economic output as the United States with 400 million people rather than our 300 million. So they are willing to be 25% or so less wealthy in order to have time and the opportunity to enjoy life more.

That's a tradeoff most in Europe are happy to make, while Americans overwork themselves with fewer vacations, fewer benefits, longer work hours, and more stress.

He gave several examples of how Europeans are much less moralistic than we are, which leads to wiser social policies. We lead the world in imprisoning people, often for victimless crimes like drug use. Europe helps drug users break their habit through education and other means, rather than viewing them as moral failures.

Likewise, he showed photos of Amsterdam's "red light" district where prostitution is regulated instead of being driven underground where a woman has to call her pimp if a customer gets abusive, not a police officer. 

 

 

Steves was equally entertaining and persuasive when he got to the Yes on 91 part of his talk. You can get a good feel for his message via an Oregonian interview with him.
Download Rick Steves campaigns for marijuana legalization in Oregon: Q&A | OregonLive.com

Here's some excerpts:

 

Steves, 59, of Edmonds, Wash., argued that marijuana legalization is a civil liberties issue that other countries have successfully grappled with. He pointed to the Netherlands' experience with pot as a prime example, saying that country's relatively liberal marijuana laws have not resulted in increased consumption. 

 

..."I just feel very strongly that the laws that are on the books right now are counter productive. They are expensive. They are racist. They are based on fear and misinformation. This is not just my hunch. A lot of it might be counterintuitive but my experience is based on talking to people who have been dealing with the same challenges in other countries for the last two decades.

 

In Europe my friends tell me a society has to make a choice: tolerate alternative lifestyles or build more prisons. And they always follow up that with this annoying comment that Americans lock up 10 times as many people per capita as they do. They say, 'You guys are either inherently more criminal or there is something screwy about your laws.'

...As far as my business goes, I have been talking about this quite candidly for a long, long time. Every once in a while somebody is going to say, 'I know what you think about marijuana and I am not going to buy your guidebooks. I am not going to take your tours.'

All I can think is Europe is going to be more interesting and fun without you."

I scored a free lawn sign on my way in. It's now proudly displayed at the end of our driveway. We live in a pretty conservative rural south Salem neighborhood.

 

But Steves made clear that legalizing marijuana isn't an R vs. D or conservative vs. liberal thing. It is a common sense vs. illogic thing. Also, a liberty vs. control thing. From the Oregonian piece, here's some lines that Steves also used last night:

I have smoked very casually ever since I was a student.

It’s not a big deal in my life. I just really believe in civil liberties. I am a tax-paying, kid-raising, church-going, hard-working American citizen.

If I work hard all day long and I want to go home and in the privacy of my own living room and smoke a joint and just stare at the fireplace for three hours, that is my civil liberty.

Why everyone in Oregon should vote to legalize marijuana

Today the realization came to me -- why every voting Oregonian should check "Yes" on Measure 91, the initiative to legalize recreational marijuana.

It was so clear, so evident, so marvelously apparent. Just six words, directed at the different slices of the political spectrum.

Imagine, liberals...Governor Dennis Richardson. Senator Monica Wehby.

Imagine, conservatives...Governor John Kitzhaber. Senator Jeff Merkley.

Depressing, right? If either comes to pass, about half of voters are going to be seriously upset for the next four to six years. You're going to need something to cheer you up.

Hey, no problem! 

Because Oregonians had the smarts to pass Measure 91 in November. Not too long after, everybody who is bummed by how the election turned out will be able to find the marijuana strain they need in a local pot store.

Start browsing now. Under Effect, choose "happy." Or if you expect to be really bummed out, go for "euphoric."

Take a few imaginary puffs. Feel yourself relaxing. Enjoy the fantasy buzz.

Richardson, Kitzhaber, Wehby, Merkley -- they're all just people, man... send them some love... it'll be OK, no matter who runs the state and country... reality extends way beyond all this political bullshit... just BE.

Now, if you haven't tried marijuana, you might be thinking "Why can't I vote no on Measure 91 and continue to drink myself into oblivion when I'm depressed like I always do?" To which I reply:

Dude, picture yourself getting drunk without all of the nasty drunkenness parts.

You feel good, but aren't really physically impaired. No stumbling around. No throwing up. And psychologically, have you ever wondered why people talk about "happy drunks" and "angry drunks," but not happy stoners and angry stoners?

Because marijuana rarely makes people angry. Have you ever heard of a bar fight? How about a pot party fight? 

So now I've made an unarguable case for both liberals and conservatives voting for Measure 91. Whichever side of the political spectrum an Oregon voter is on, there's a good chance he or she will be disappointed after the election.

Remembering But Measure 91 passed! will ease the pain. Trust me. 

Those who are reluctant to feel better fast through a safe, effective, and essentially side-effect-free herbal "medication" should consider a few things.

First, how many substances do you ingest, because you want to feel better, which are a lot more harmful than marijuana? These could include alcohol, tobacco, plus both non-prescription and over-the-counter drugs. 

That Vicodin is way riskier than, say, your White Widow cannabis strain. 

I can't think of any reasonable reasons to not vote "yes" on Measure 91. Whether someone believes God created man in his own image, or evolution formed us through natural selection, the plain fact is that the human brain has receptors for THC.

God, evolution, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster all want you to feel happy no matter how the 2014 Oregon election turns out. Vote for Measure 91. You're going to feel good that you did.

Lastly... what if the only issue you care about on the November ballot is defeating that damn marijuana legalization effort, Measure 91, and it passes?! Then you're going to be REALLY depressed. 

Dude, you're going to need some cheering up --  how about some Silver Super Haze?

Legalizing marijuana controls use by youth. Vote for Measure 91.

One of the best arguments for Oregon's Measure 91, which would legalize recreational marijuana for adults, is that it will help control pot use among youths. 

Today the Bend Bulletin published a great opinion piece by Inge Fryklund, "Time to put adults in charge of marijuana." She is a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).
Download Letter: Time to put the adults in charge of marijuana

Here's some of what Fryklund said.

Today in Oregon, kids are buying readily available marijuana from unknown, unregulated sources. The supply chain may go all the way back to some Mexican cartel, and it’s guaranteed that all the profits will go to criminals. No one knows the potency or purity of the substance being sold, or how much pesticide contamination there might be.

People undoubtedly are driving while high — as they do with alcohol — but unlike with labeled beer or wine, consumers have no way of knowing what potency they have ingested before getting behind the wheel.

...With our current enforcement-based system, the responsible adults in the community have abdicated their responsibility to control marijuana, a substance that is both widely available and in demand. We have left all decisions about source, distribution, sale, potency and purity up to criminals.

Instead of proactively working to prevent or reduce problems with the distribution and sale of marijuana, we have been reactive, getting involved only after the sales to kids have already occurred when police make arrests for drug offenses.

...Something that is illegal cannot be managed. Has any public official ever said, “We need to do a better job of managing armed robbery?” It sounds silly. Only if something is legal is it possible for the community to manage and control it.

During the prohibition of alcohol (1920-1933), drinking didn’t stop and there were tremendous downsides to relying on the criminal justice system to control alcohol. Supply was in the hands of criminals, and any dealer prosecuted was simply replaced by another. Remember Al Capone? And gangs fighting over turf? There was no quality control, and hundreds of people died of drinking adulterated alcohol.

The day Prohibition was repealed, state alcohol control commissions could regulate purity, require labeling, license distributors and sellers, and enact and enforce penalties for selling to minors. Beer distributors with contract disputes filed cases in court instead of shooting each other. When was the last time Bud Light and Coors Light engaged in a shootout over store shelf space?

Facts back up Fryklund's thesis. 

In Colorado, which legalized marijuana in 2012, tightly regulating and taxing its sale, marijuana use among teens is down. Decriminalization of marijuana doesn't lead to increased use or changed beliefs among youth. Legalization of medical marijuana doesn't increase use among adolescents. A group of teens interviewed by the Oregonian agreed that legalization would not increase use among youth.

Makes sense.

As the opinion piece says, currently drug cartels and other black market sellers of marijuana control how it is distributed in Oregon. Contrast this with how marijuana would be regulated if Measure 91 passes: by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

At a recent Salem City Club debate about Measure 91, Congressman Earl Blumenauer noted that it is easier for a 13 year old girl to get marijuana than a six pack of beer. Why? Because the sale of beer to minors is tightly regulated in this state, and the sale of marijuana isn't.

Oregonians who care about reducing marijuana use among teens should vote for Measure 91. Otherwise, as Fryklund says, responsible adults won't be charge of controlling the availability of marijuana to youth.

Drug cartels will.

Oregon anti-drug summit cancelled. Oregon Marijuana Education Tour should be also.

Good news for advocates of ethical political campaigns.

Willamette Week is reporting that a planned Oregon Marijuana, Alcohol, and Other Drug Summit in Madras on October 1-2 has been cancelled. (See the blog post I wrote yesterday about the summit and associated tour.)

The sponsor of a government-funded anti-drug summit has cancelled the event after WW first reported it had been set timed to coincide with the fight over Measure 91, the marijuana legalization measure.

BestCare Treatment Services said late Thursday it was withdrawing from the summit, which was scheduled to include anti-drug activist Kevin Sabet. WW's story raised questions about the timing of a tour that would include Sabet within weeks of voters receiving their ballots for the general election.

I just left a comment on the Willamette Week story.

I hope the whole Oregon Marijuana Education Tour is cancelled also. Last night I called this the "Reefer Madness Tour" in a blog post about this underhanded attempt to get around campaign finance laws.

Oregon's drug abuse treatment community needs to realize that going ahead with the tour will forever associate them with anti-marijuana legalization fanatics like Kevin Sabet and Josh Marquis.

Sabet and Marquis should openly debate Measure 91 proponents, not hide within forums where only opponents of Measure 91 are allowed to speak -- supported by taxpayer funds, outrageously.

A KOIN piece shows how politicized the taxpayer-funded Oregon Marijuana Education Tour really is.

“Fatalities are on the rise in Washington after they legalized marijuana,” said Matt Shirtcliff with the Oregon District Attorneys Association.

[Note: Googling this claim, I couldn't find any evidence for it. But traffic fatalities in Colorado, which also legalized marijuana in 2012, are at an all-time low.]

A spokesperson for the association said some members plan to join a “Marijuana Education Tour” that is put on by the same group that recently took out a full-page, anti-marijuana ad in the New York Times.

Anti-drug activist Kevin Sabet will lead the tour, which is funded by a federal grant, through Oregon a month before Election Day and talk about marijuana. The tour is not campaigning against Measure 91.

“Sure it’s around election time, but it’s also to educate the citizens,” said Shirtcliff.

Zuckerman said he’s not buying that argument.

“Calling this an education tour is preposterous,” he said. “Taxpayer money should not be covertly used to influence an election.”

Like I said in my comment, drug abuse professionals should be very cautious about being connected with an underhanded anti-Measure 91 effort. Their credibility will be much diminished if citizens view this "marijuana tour" as a biased attempt to mislead voters about the dangers of legalizing pot.

Blumenauer rips Drug Policy official on marijuana cluelessness

This should be must-viewing for the Salem City Council and Marion County Board of Commissioners, which are considering ill-advised restrictions on medical marijuana clinics -- totally legal here in Oregon, as recreational marijuana also should be.

There's a lot of ignorance about marijuana among Patti Milne and other county commissioners. Likely also among city councillors. 

Download Marion County takes stances against marijuana clinics
Download Salem City Council hears about medical marijuana dispensary plan

What's needed is honesty, not clueless prevaricating, like a federal Drug Policy demonstrates in this video. Oregon congressman Rep. Earl Blumenauer does a great job holding the guy's feet to the bullshit fire.

 

Marijuana legalization creeping closer to Oregon

Oh, yeah, the times are definitely a'changing here in Oregon. High times are coming soon to Washington state, which legalized adult marijuana sales/use last year.

Willamette Week has reported news of considerable interest to those of a cannabis-consuming bent in northwest Oregon: the would-be sellers and growers in Clark County, a mere crossing of the Columbia River away from Portland.

I'm 65. I've been used to marijuana being illegal my entire life, obviously.

I still feel a pang in my '60s heart (the decade, not my age) when I remember driving with similarly stoned friends in my smoke-filled '57 VW bug to the ill-fated Altamont Free Concert, the flip side of Woodstock. The traffic was heavy as we neared the concert site.

I saw flashing lights and heard a siren behind us. Those being paranoid times, I rolled down my window and dropped the baggie that contained our entire stash onto the pavement. Only to watch the police car zoom past us. My friends weren't happy with me. But, hey, back then getting caught with Mary Jane was a pretty big deal.

Not for much longer. At least in the more enlightened states.

Washington and Colorado are showing Oregon the way to legalization. New Approach Oregon likely will have an initiative on the 2014 ballot one way or the other -- by a legislative referral or by gathering signatures.

It's pleasantly weird to look at the names of absolutely legal Clark County businesses that hope to sell or grow marijuana. Cultural changes can come fast, once a tipping point is reached. (Gay marriage is another example.)

Cannabee
Christy Cannabis
Clear Mind Canteen, LLC
Vansterdam
Spuds Buds
Wolf Marijuana

David Sarasohn has an entertaining piece in today's Oregonian, "Marijuana goes from a crime to a consumer story." 

Just when things looked bleak for newspapers, The Denver Post has found a way.

Readying itself to cover Colorado's voter-directed legalization of recreational marijuana, the Post has named a marijuana editor to oversee its coverage and its marijuana website, and is planning to add a freelance marijuana advice columnist and a freelance marijuana critic. (Of course, most marijuana critics are freelance.) Applications are flowing in, many of them written on rolling papers.

Finally, newspaper jobs that people are excited about.

And the Post jobs could well be a training ground. Washington also has voted to legalize marijuana, and the on-line Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a sponsored blog on the subject. Legalization will be on the Oregon ballot again next November – this column is not a job listing – and California is likely to be close behind.

And if it's a major position to be the rock critic of The Los Angeles Times or the restaurant critic of The San Francisco Chronicle, to be the marijuana critic of either of them would be a truly big deal.

Not to be confused with being a big dealer.

Portland's Willamette Week also has gotten on the journalistic bandwagon with its Willy Weed column. 

Very soon, on what is likely to be a cloudy day, storefronts across Portland’s plucky northernmost suburb will be front and center for one of America’s newest and nuttiest experiments. The question on some minds: Can marijuana use occur without humans devolving into rage-fueled cannibalism? The question on everyone else’s: Why did it take so long?

Of course, we Oregonians will be adjacent to the action, heads bowed in silent shame as Washington passes a glittery glass piece from Ilwaco to Colville.

Oregon was the first state to decriminalize marijuana, but this time those Appleheads out-pioneered us, and out-pioneered us good. Which makes it a little odd that, for the first time in its 40-year history, Willamette Week is rolling out a marijuana column. (This is that column.) Why not wait until marijuana is legal in, say, Portland proper?

Weed will be legally and openly sold a short drive away in only a few weeks. And we won’t have long to wait before it’s permitted here, too. A new legalization measure will almost certainly be on next year’s ballot, and there’s hint of the Oregon Legislature going no-huddle and passing a law earlier.

Washington’s approval of Initiative 502 conjures images of hangdog Oregonians trudging north for supplies in much the way our forefathers relied on Fort Vancouver for huggable beaver pelts. We’ll be paying weed taxes to Sounders fans, and paying their regressive sales tax on Juanita’s Chilipeño chips because it’s just so far back across the river and I’m hungry now, damn it.

And you know how much of that tax revenue will go toward building a bridge with light rail across the Columbia? Zero-point-zero percent.

Excellent point. Which goes a long way toward explaining why the money-hungry Oregon Legislature might take the lead in getting marijuana legalized here.

If marijuana is good medically, why not legalize it?

Today CNN's chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, came out and said that he has been wrong about medical marijuana. In part because the federal government has been lying about marijuana's supposed dangers and lack of benefits.

I mistakenly believed the Drug Enforcement Agency listed marijuana as a schedule 1 substance because of sound scientific proof. Surely, they must have quality reasoning as to why marijuana is in the category of the most dangerous drugs that have "no accepted medicinal use and a high potential for abuse."

They didn't have the science to support that claim, and I now know that when it comes to marijuana neither of those things are true. It doesn't have a high potential for abuse, and there are very legitimate medical applications. In fact, sometimes marijuana is the only thing that works. 

Hey, better late than never, Dr. Gupta.

Twenty states already have legalized medical marijuana. Two states have made it legal for all adults. (See this map.) Obviously citizens have managed to learn the truth about marijuana well before a lot of "leaders" who should be better informed.

This is annoyingly common these days. Ordinary people have better sense than the politicians they send off to Washington, D.C. to represent them. 

Like Gupta says, it is crazy that marijuana still is classified in the Most Dangerous Drug category. It also is crazy that virtually every Republican in Congress doesn't accept the scientific facts about global warming. Truthiness has replaced truth in many political circles. 

Fortunately, the times seem to be a'changing. Bill Maher calls marijiuana the new gay marriage. 

"By that, I mean it's the next obvious civil rights issue that needs to fall," he says, before explaining that marijuana advocates must take a page from marriage equality activists and make Mary Jane popular. "Gays simply demanded it" he says. "They didn't care that it wasn't popular. They put it on the agenda and they made it popular."

 

I'm hoping that Oregon will get its act together and legalize marijiuana in 2014. The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act folks have a great chance of succeeding, in part because an initiative to legalize gay marriage almost certainly will be on the ballot.

The 2012 marijuana legalization effort was horribly organized. Yet 46% of Oregonians still voted "yes." With fresh leadership Oregon could become the third state to legalize marijuana, after Colorado and Washingtonl 

Next year lots of Oregonians will be crossing the Columbia to buy pot legally in Washington state.

Voters need to be told that this money could be staying in Oregon rather than enriching Washington's tax coffers. And that marijuana is a much safer recreational drug than alcohol, with hugely fewer detrimental effects.

Oregon first state to decriminalize marijuana. We're green! (in many ways)

When I came across this map that shows the spread of liberalized marijuana laws in the United States, the first state that turned light green leapt out at me. 

Oregon! (click on image to activate; or check out the Atlantic Wire story that has the map).

Indeed, Wikipedia confirms that the year I moved here, 1973, was when Oregon kicked off the national trend of decriminalizing and, recently, legalizing recreational marijiuana. In addition, a bunch of states (including Oregon) have OK'd medical marijuana for certain conditions. 

Today the Oregon state Senate passed a bill that would let people with post-traumatic stress disorder get medical marijuana cards. The ignorance of some Republican legislators about medicinal marijuana is shown in this quote from the story.

Sen. Alan Olsen, R-Canby, said while he understands the responsibility to help people with this disorder he remains skeptical about whether marijuana should be used as medicine for PTSD.

“You know you could sit down with a bottle of Jack Daniels and listen to Charlie Daniels and probably get the same effect,” Olsen, a former narcotics investigator, told lawmakers.

I don't know how much marijuana you use, Sen. Olsen, but whatever the quantity is, you need to toke up more.

Obviously you haven't experienced the difference between drinking a bunch of toxic alcohol, and ingesting a natural herb whose active ingredient triggers brain receptors, some of which reduce pain (along with increasing pleasure, and without those nasty whiskey side effects.)

Kaufmann crushes Marquis in KGW marijuana debate

Sure, I'm biased. I want marijuana to be legalized in Oregon.

This made good sense before Washington, our neighbor to the north, made pot legal last November. Now, it makes even more sense -- since soon a good share of Oregon's population will be within an hour's driving time of state-sponsored marijuana stores.

Recently KGW TV held a "Straight Talk" debate on marijuana legalization between Roy Kaufmann, spokesman for the unsuccessful Measure 80 campaign that would have made pot legal here, and Josh Marquis, Clatsop County district attorney.

I liked how both Kaufmann and Marquis were respectful, well-spoken, and generally on target with their responses to moderator Laural Porter's questions. But if you watch the 25 minute debate (with a brief ad at the start), I bet you'll agree with me that Kaufmann had the stronger arguments.

Marquis' major less-than-persuasive argument was that use of marijuana in Oregon currently is (1) effectively decriminalized for possession of less than an ounce and (2) is so common, it's obvious that hardly anyone is being prevented from smoking pot under our current laws.

Pretty lame reasons for keeping the status quo.

Kaufmann pointed out that decriminalization (making possession of small amounts a misdemeanor) still results in some people losing their drivers license and incurring other penalties for using a substance that is much less harmful than alcohol. 

He said that he's asked law enforcement personnel if they've ever heard of someone smoking pot engaging in domestic violence, getting in a bar fight, or otherwise being spurred into violent behavior by the "demon weed."

The response: nope. Even Marquis admitted that marijuana users are prone to lying on the couch and raiding the refigerator rather than engaging in antisocial misdeeds. 

Why, then, asked Kaufmann repeatedly, should marijuana be illegal when society would be better off if people substituted pot for alcohol when they want to imbibe a consciousness-altering drug?

Marquis' weak response was that marijuana is still banned under federal law. (It's looking though, like the Obama administration is going to let the Washington and Colorado legalization experiments move forward.)

I appreciated Marquis' live-and-let-live attitude toward marijuana use, but thought this argued more for legalization than the status quo. If Oregonians are doing fine with quasi-open, widespread marijuana use, why not make it legal?

Kaufmann noted that a regulated system would bring revenues into state coffers, reduce the power of drug cartels, and probably make pot less easy for minors to obtain. 

Just about the only time I disagreed with Kaufmann, a skilled public relations guy, was when he said that marijuana legalization would be back on the ballot in 2016. Seems to me that 2014 should be the year when Oregonians legalize both same-sex marriage and pot.

Obama, let Colorado and Washington go ahead with legal marijuana

Over in the New York Times TImothy Egan makes some excellent arguments in favor of a federal hands-off approach to the marijuana legalization initiatives that passed in Colorado and Washington a few weeks ago.

Usually Republicans and other conservatives look down on NY Times opinion pieces, but "Give Pot a Chance" should appeal to people all across the political spectrum. 

Social revolutions in a democracy, especially ones that begin with voters, should not be lightly dismissed. Forget all the lame jokes about Cheetos and Cheech and Chong. In the two-and-a-half weeks since a pair of progressive Western states sent a message that arresting 853,000 people a year for marijuana offenses is an insult to a country built on individual freedom, a whiff of positive, even monumental change is in the air.

Right on, brother. 

Here in Oregon our voters turned down Measure 80, an attempt to legalize marijuana that was considerably looser (less regulation, fewer limits on personal use) than what passed in the other states. However, it still got 47% of the vote, even with virtually zero money put into campaigning for it.

Following Measure 80 spokesman Roy Kaufmann's interesting twitter tweets (@roykaufmann), I learned that the libertarian movement was supporting the marijuana legalization initiatives.

Makes sense.

Like Egan said, criminalizing marijuana use, which is much less harmful or dangerous than alcohol and many legal substances, is an affront to individual freedom. So the don't tread on me side of conservatism, a large bunch of Americans, should oppose the DEA swooping in and asserting their right to keep marijuana illegal under federal law.

On the liberal side, support for letting Colorado and Washington do their thing will be equally strong or stronger. Personally, I'll be deeply irked at Obama if he fails to allow states to experiment with legalizing marijuana. Which hopefully will include Oregon soon.

If Obama did that, l'd still support his second term agenda. But when those entreaties come in from Obama for America asking me to email, phone, facebook, twitter, donate, or whatever for some policy cause, I'll keep in mind Obama's stance on marijuana. 

It's tough to think of any good reasons to continue on with what we're doing now. Egan makes that clear.

In two years through 2011, more than 2,200 serious illnesses, including 33 fatalities, were reported by consumers of nutritional supplements. Federal officials have received reports of 13 deaths and 92 serious medical events from Five Hour Energy. And how many people died of marijuana ingestion?

Of course, just because well-marketed, potentially hazardous potions are legal is no argument to bring pot onto retail shelves. But it’s hard to make a case for fairness when one person’s method of relaxation is cause for arrest while another’s lands him on a Monday night football ad.

...Already, 18 states and the District of Columbia allow medical use of marijuana. This chaotic and unregulated system has resulted in price-gouging, phony prescriptions and outright scams. No wonder the pot dispensaries have opposed legalization — it could put them out of business.

...Washington State officials estimate that taxation and regulation of licensed marijuana retail stores will generate $532 million in new revenue every year. Expand that number nationwide, and then also add into the mix all the wasted billions now spent investigating and prosecuting marijuana cases.

...Obama is uniquely suited to make the argument for change. On this issue, he’ll have support from the libertarian right and the humanitarian left. The question is not the backing — it’s whether the president will have the backbone.

Seattle Police Department's entertaining guide to marijuana use

As a proud Oregonian, a resident for 41 years, I'm embarassed to say this. But I will. I'm envious of Washingtonians. 

Last Tuesday they legalized marijuana and ratified the legality of gay marriage. And it looks like they have a way cooler police department in Seattle than we have in Portland.

It's difficult to imagine the Portland police department putting out such a well-written and entertaining guide to now-legal marijuana use as the Seattle P.D. did in "Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use in Seattle."

Some excerpts:

The people have spoken. Voters have passed Initiative 502 and beginning December 6^th, it is not a violation of state law for adults over 21 years old to possess up to an ounce of marijuana (or 16 ounces of solid marijuana-infused product, like cookies, or 72 ounces of infused liquid, like oil) for personal use.  The initiative establishes a one-year period for the state to develop rules and a licensing system for the marijuana production and sale.

...Can I legally carry around an ounce of marijuana?

According to the recently passed initiative, beginning December 6^th, adults over the age of 21 will be able to carry up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use. Please note that the initiative says it “is unlawful to open a package containing marijuana…in view of the general public,” so there’s that. Also, you probably shouldn’t bring pot with you to the federal courthouse (or any other federal property).

...Will police officers be able to smoke marijuana?

As of right now, no. This is still a very complicated issue.

...What happens if I get pulled over and I’m sober, but an officer or his K9 buddy smells the ounce of Super Skunk I’ve got in my trunk?

Under state law, officers have to develop probable cause to search a closed or locked container. Each case stands on its own, but the smell of pot alone will not be reason to search a vehicle. If officers have information that you’re trafficking, producing or delivering marijuana in violation of state law, they can get a warrant to search your vehicle.

SPD seized a bunch of my marijuana before I-502 passed. Can I have it back?

No.

...December 6^th seems like a really long ways away. What happens if I get caught with marijuana before then?   

 Hold your breath. Your case will be processed under current state law. However, there is already a city ordinance making marijuana enforcement the lowest law enforcement priority.

The guide ends with a You Tube video. Whoever wrote this piece for the Seattle Police Department deserves a promotion.

  

Another confused Oregonian editorial against marijuana legalization

So much for balance on the Oregonian's editorial page. Unless I've missed a pro Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (Measure 80) opinion piece, today's confused guest editorial by Young Republican Brendan Monaghan is the third non-sensical "anti-pot" rant in a row. 

(My previous demolishings of the Oregonian's reasonings are here and here.)

Monaghan's sole justification for voting against legalization of marijuana for consumption by adults is that this would run afoul of federal law. Ridiculous federal law, which classifies marijuana in the same category as heroin and recognizes no medical use for it.

However, Monaghan's Facebook page contains a favorite slogan of his: "Because statism never takes a day off." Hmmmmm. So Young Republican Brendan is totally in favor of states like Oregon bowing and scraping before the power of the federal government when it comes to marijuana legalization.

I wonder where he stood on Arizona's attempt to enforce it's own approach to stopping illegal immigration. I assume Monaghan would have told Governor Jan Brewer and her Republican cohorts that it is futile to try to oppose federal policies, so why try?

His opinion piece makes so little sense, I don't want to put much time into refuting his "don't challenge federal law" argument. Commenters on the piece have done a better job than I could, anyway.

Here's some of my favorite comments:

------------------------

The most disturbing part about this article is that the author does not offer any real solutions or alternatives to the current approach we have on Marijuana; which has been an utter failure and has resulted in criminal enterprises around the word creating a hefty budget to prolong their criminal agendas. The status quo is UNACCEPTABLE and if you rather just not do anything and simply wait for the old farts in Washington to step up you are DEAD WRONG and a fool at best (or you're already bought out). The people control the law of the [l]and and it takes courage and foresight to really change things; measure 80 aims to do just that.

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Oh my .. don't want the feds mad at us! Might cost us some money!! Let's not do ANYTHING - be afraid, very afraid.  

One would suppose the same argument could have been made when alcoholic beverages was re-legalized in 1933. Measure 7 (1932), Bill to Repeal State Prohibition Law of Oregon: passed 59.8%. Please note that this bill (1932) preceded the National repeal (1933). 10 states voted in 1932 to repeal prohibition. California voted to repeal and empower the legislature to regulate the sale by retail stores IF AND WHEN "federal prohibition becomes inoperative". In Louisiana, there were two referendum, one on whether prohibition would be inoperative 30 days after election (before national repeal) and another petitioning congress for repeal, In Connecticut a referendum to launch repeal. Other states that voted were Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Wyoming, and Washington. 
 
Oregon was in the SAME position in 1932 as now with a unjust law regulating adult behavior.  
 
The SAME arguments were made in 1933 ("Oh! the children!", more use, change of status quo, and (you can bet) the Federal Rules, remember this wasn't just federal law and policy, it was in the federal CONSTITUTION!)). What struggle did history tell us between the feds and the state?  
 
None! Only that alcohol Prohibition was repealed in Oregon BEFORE the Federal repeal. And everyone is happy we did. 

------------------------

I agree whole heartedly with Brendan's reasoning. The path is difficult, therefore we should sweep the problem under the rug and suck our thumbs. Good thing we don't deal with medicare and social security funding the same way... Oh wait. 
I would just like to say that I am eternally grateful to:  
1. The founding fathers for saying "screw it, we cant win against the crown. Let us continue to suck from the king's teet." 
2. Anti slavery citizens who rolled on their backs and returned every single ruaway, per federal law. 
3. The thousands of people who didn't go to war in the 1940's to end oppressive totalitarianism. 
4. The civil rights leaders who accepted that some races are just inferior compared to others. 
 
The fictitious world I live in, within my own head, would not exist without all of their lack of struggle in the face of assured and powerful opposition.

------------------------

I am completely disgusted by the Oregonian's increasing right leaning perspective. I guess we should always cowtow to the Federal government? No wonder mainstream newspapers continue to lose readership. Goodbye Oregonian, you lost another reader.

------------------------

The Oregonian is once again showing their increasingly move to the right; did not get far with the editorial board writing "Reefer Madness" articles so now they are using outside hacks to promote their views. If Brandon is the norm for a new Young Republican it is no wonder the republican's are losing party members. Although he does not spout the usual "Reefer Madness" rhetoric it appears he may have given us an insight to the opposition’s strategy against the measure. If they cannot fight the true facts then argue that is stupid and costly to take on the federal government. If the citizens of this country are not willing to take on the government and fight for what is right then this country is truly lost and the government has won and your freedom has taken another hit. The Republican Party is arguing for a smaller government the problem is they want that government to control all aspects of your life. 

Oregonian editorial opposing marijuana legalization is farcical

Turnaround is fair play, Erik Lukens, editorial page editor of the Portland Oregonian. Today your editorial calls the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA), which would legalize and tax marijuana for adult consumption, farcical.

Well, after reading your poorly-reasoned opinion piece I'd like to assign it the same dismissive adjective: farcical. (I'm not alone, based on comments submitted by readers.)

Lukens left one of those comments, a response to Jennifer. Here's the thoughtful message from Jennifer, along with Lukens' offhand reply.

From Jennifer: Dear Oregonian Editorial Board, 
 
What do you feel would be a more legitimate way to tax and regulate marijuana? What would YOUR ideal initiative look like? I think you underestimate the difficulty presented by redefining the laws around marijuana. The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2012 addresses the issues in the most complete and effective way, particularly when compared to the other proposals being offered elsewhere. Further, as has been mentioned in the comments already, the legislature can make ANY changes they would like, if there is any portion that is not working. In fact, the legislature will be meeting just as the act goes into effect (presuming it passes)! 
 
I'm amazed at how your board finds fault with everything presented, but never offers alternatives that would be the superior options. How about you schedule a platform to have that "legitimate debate" and let the public participate? Kind of like the transparency meetings you hosted around the state.

From Lukens: Jennifer: Thanks for the response. We haven't concluded that there is a legitimate way to legalize marijuana, as we haven't endorsed legalization at all. We have pointed out that there are legitimate arguments for doing so and for not doing so. What is clear, though, is that this ballot initiative is farcical. I'd even [c]all it half-baked.

And what makes the OCTA so farcical and half-baked? As Jennifer correctly pointed out, the Oregonian editorial board, led by Lukens, didn't point out any substantive reasons.

The editorial didn't discuss the downside of continuing to let Mexican drug cartels and other "dark side" suppliers of marijuana reap the profits of selling a psycho-active herb desired by a great many Oregonians, which is demonstrably much safer than alcohol.

The editorial didn't discuss how much money would be saved by freeing up law enforcement efforts now directed at stopping the sale and use of marijuana, allowing more attention to be paid to truly dangerous drugs.

The editorial didn't discuss the benefits to state government finances by taxing and regulating marijuana, which now is sold in an underground economy where the monetary benefits accrue to private individuals operating outside the law.

Instead...

Erik Lukens and the rest of the editorial board farcically focused on a minor aspect of the OCTA initiative: the membership of the Oregon Cannabis Commission, which "would license people to cultivate and process marijuana for sale at commission stores."

For the first year, the seven members of the Commission would be appointed by the Governor. Wow, that doesn't sound half-baked.

After the first year, five of the seven would be chosen by marijuana processors and growers. If that wasn't acceptable to the Oregon legislature, the composition of the Commission could be changed by statute. Wow, that also doesn't sound half-baked.

Lukens seemingly was grasping for something, anything, to criticize.

Since the substance of the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act is so strong, based as it is on sound science and policy research, apparently the Oregonian editorial board decided to nit-pick on a minor issue -- the proposed composition of the Commission after the OCTA has been in effect for a year.

LIke I said, farcical. 

Mr. Lukens, you should take a look at the composition of boards and commissions around Oregon. For example, I'm familiar with planning commissions here in Marion County/Salem, having been active in land use issues for many years.

Planning commissions often (usually?) are stacked with pro-development people who work in real estate, construction, well drilling, and such. If your editorial board is so adamant about boards and commissions not being dominated by people involved in the area being overseen, you need to start a much broader crusade.

As some commenters on your editorial noted, take a look at medical and nursing boards; the board of geology examiners; above-mentioned planning commissions; forestry, farming, fishing, and wildlife boards and commissions.

I bet you'll find a whole lot of government programs being overseen by people who either work in that area, or have expertise in that area. Is this a good idea? Does this contribute to special interest domination of policy-making?

Maybe. Maybe not.

But that's the real question you should be asking, not singling out the Oregon Cannabis Commission for farcical special attention when so many other boards and commissions are similarly structured.

Hopefully the Oregonian's future editorials on the marijuana initiative will be focused on substance, rather than nit-picking. The paper's readers deserve better than they got in this editorial.

Oregon could legalize marijuana for adults in 2012

Way to go, Oregonians.

Backers of the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA) have turned in over 165,000 signatures for a citizen inititive that would legalize marijuana and allow its sale in state-licensed stores. That's almost double the 87,213 needed to be on the November ballot.

I support OCTA not just because I'm an ex-pot head from my college days.

It makes zero sense to spend so much money in the law enforcement and legal system trying to stop people from using an herb that is demonstrably safer and more beneficial to human well-being than alcohol.

Currently we're in a period akin to the similarly stupid attempt to prohibit alcohol consumption.

Back then Al Capone and other gangsters made huge amounts of money from giving people what they wanted. Now, its Mexican drug cartels and other bad guys who reap the rewards of idiotic marijuana laws. 

Much better to regulate and tax marijuana. Over 300 economists have signed a petition urging consideration of marijuana legalization.    

Over 300 economists, including three Nobel Laureates, recently signed a petition that encourages the president, Congress, governors and state legislatures to carefully consider marijuana legalization in America. The petition draws attention to an article by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, whose findings highlight the substantial cost-savings our government could incur if it were to tax and regulate marijuana, rather than needlessly spending billions of dollars enforcing its prohibition.

Miron predicts that legalizing marijuana would save $7.7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforcement, in addition to generating $2.4 billion annually if taxed like most consumer goods, or $6 billion per year if taxed similarly to alcohol and tobacco. The economists signing the petition note that the budgetary implications of marijuana prohibition are just one of many factors to be considered, but declare it essential that these findings become a serious part of the national decriminalization discussion.

Best of luck in November, Oregon Cannabis Tax Act.

The initiative should have a decent chance of passing, even given predictable opposition from law enforcement types who would see part of their legal fiefdom diminished. Libertarian-leaning Republicans and Independents, though, should support OCTA. 

Californians may be voting on a "Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Act of 2012" initiative. And Washington state's marijuana initiative, I-502, is flying high in a recent poll.

The November ballot measure that would legalize, regulate and tax marijuana — Initiative 502 — is breaking some of Washington’s political molds, according to a poll released Tuesday.

I-502 is leading by a 50-37 percent margin, according to Public Policy Polling, a lead that is built on an unusual three-legged stool of support from young voters, male voters and a libertarian-minded chunk of Republican voters.

Maybe this year the West Coast will start a wave of enlightened marijuana policies that will sweep eastward. 

Marijuana rolls into center of Oregon Attorney General race

Ellen Rosenblum would be a much better Attorney General for Oregon than Dwight Holton, not least because of her respect for our state's voter-approved medical marijuana act, which Holton almost certainly would continue to undermine -- notwithstanding politically-inspired attempts to downplay his previous attacks against the act.

I hope she wins tomorrow in the Democratic primary. Rosenblum is the choice of progressives, while a poll showed that Holton is favored only by the most conservative Democrats.

A few days ago I got an email from a US News and World Report editor who wrote a story analyzing the impact marijuana is having on the Attorney General race (Republicans aren't running a candidate, so likely whoever wins the Dem primary will be the next AG).

Hey Brian,

I just read your blog post endorsing Ellen Rosenblum for AG. I just completed a long feature piece for US News & World Report about the race, focusing partially on its national implications for marijuana activists: 

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/05/10/why-the-oregon-attorney-general-race-has-national-implications-for-marijuana-laws

Thought you and your readers would find it interesting.

Take care,
Simon Owens
Assistant Managing Editor
US News & World Report

Well, I'm pleased to publicize your story on my blog, Simon. Glad to suck up to you. Just keep me in mind next time you need a quote on an Oregon-related story.

Here's some excerpts from Owens' piece.

Oregon has a long and storied history with marijuana. In 1973, the legislature voted to make possession of less than an ounce of pot an infraction with a maximum fine of $100. The legislature then tried to reclassify simple possession as a misdemeanor in 1997, only for voters to reject it in a 1998 ballot initiative.

That same year, a majority of voters approved another ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes, making Oregon one of the first states to do so (this initiative became what is now called the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act). Unlike some states—California, for instance—Oregon does not allow the sale of medical marijuana, but rather allows those granted permission to either grow pot for themselves or designate others to grow it for them.

...If Holton loses on Tuesday, it won't be the first time marijuana activists will claim they were able to tip the scales of an election. In 2010, activists ran ads against Steve Cooley, a Los Angeles District Attorney they considered hostile to medical marijuana dispensaries, when he ran for attorney general of California. He lost by a slim margin, and activists think it was their ads that cost him the election.

Lurking in the background of the Attorney General race is the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2012, which would allow personal use/cultivation of marijiuana, and regulate commercial cultivation/sale. It looks like backers of the citizen initiative are on track to get it on the November ballot.

Rosenblum would be a much better fit for Oregon than Holton if the Cannabis Tax Act is passed by voters. Here's what's cited as the best reason for progressives to vote for Rosenblum:

Progressives' top-rated reasons for supporting Ellen Rosenblum:

"A few weeks ago, at the Eugene City Club debate, Dwight Holton, candidate for Oregon Attorney General, picked a fight with medical marijuana patients when he called the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act a “train wreck.” Holton went on to say he would work with Republican legislators who in 2011 introduced legislation that would have effectively gut the 1998 voter-approved law. Holton is the same former US Attorney who authorized raids on Southern Oregon medical marijuana providers last fall, depriving over 200 patients access to their legal medicine. Holton hails from Virginia and only joined the Oregon State Bar in 2009. He has never tried a case in an Oregon State Court. Judge Rosenblum has been a lawyer, prosecutor and Judge in Oregon for 36 years."

"Ellen Rosenblum is Oregon. She knows most facets of the job and has new ideas of improving communication between the Governor, the state agencies and her constituents. She's well-balanced and will be able to work with the Legislature and the Courts better than her opponent. Former AGs Dave Frohnmayer and Hardy Myers endorse her and they both know what it takes to make not just a good AG but a wonderful AG. Vote for Ellen."

Marijuana users can drive just fine -- vote yes on Prop 19

I learned many things during my college years (1966-71) at San Jose State University. One was that heavy marijuana users, a.k.a. "stoners," could drive just fine while under the influence.

I can personally testify to this. Oh, man, I sure can.

This fact is politically relevant since opponents of California's Proposition 19, which would legalize and tax marijuana in Oregon's neighbor to the south, are promulgating ridiculous claims about stoned drivers killing people if Prop 19 passes.

On average, a drunk driver kills someone every 45 minutes. Recreational marijuana use in fatal crashes will increase if Prop. 19 passes. It will be legal for a driver to get high right before taking the wheel. It will also be legal for passengers to smoke pot as they drive on the freeway or in your neighborhood.

Stand against the legalization of recreational marijuana. Keep California safe. Time is running out.

There are many myths about marijuana. One that's debunked by the Drug Policy Alliance is marijuana use is a major cause of highway accidents. It isn't.

How do I know? I'm alive.

And I never even got into any sort of auto or motorcycle accident while driving around the San Francisco Bay Area in various states of psychedelicized consciousness for the better part of two years during the most intense period of my getting high in college phase.

Me and my friends would zip up to "the City" in my 57' VW bug with smoke pouring out of the windows. Ditto when we'd drive over curving roads in the Santa Cruz mountains in the middle of the night.

I'd much rather be out on the road with people who have imbibed marijuana than with alcohol drinkers. If legalizing marijuana in California leads to more stoners and fewer drinkers, this will make the streets safer, not more dangerous.

Sure, some say that marijuana is stronger now than it was back in the 60's. The Drug Policy Alliance says this is another myth. Even if it isn't, my extensive experience with all sorts of pot varieties in my college days showed me that it's possible to drive safely no matter how stoned you are.

I'll accept that this may not be true for everybody. But by and large, a marijuana user who has had "way too much" is going to be a far better driver than a drinker who has had "way too much."

If the No on Proposition 19 folks are so concerned about highway safety, they should be campaigning to make drinking alcohol illegal.

However, there aren't any good reasons to keep marijuana illegal. Just many reasons to legalize it. The No on Prop 19 campaign is deep into paranoia. They should chill out and realize they've lost touch with reality.

That's what not using marijuana will do to you. Scary!

Oregon may follow California in legalizing marijuana

I'm 61 years old. Two weeks ago, at an outdoor party, I drank my first beer out of a keg. I had to watch the guy ahead of me to see how he filled his glass. I had no idea how the pump thingie worked.

Yet I went to college from 1966-71 at San Jose State University, which at the time had a reputation as a party school. But during the '60s flower power era -- and the San Francisco Bay Area was the epicenter of it -- a large percentage of students had nothing to do with alcohol.

Like me. I didn't drink a single beer in college.

Marijuana was the high of choice for my social group. So the notion of legalizing marijuana doesn't seem at all strange to baby boomers who had a lot of experience with the herb, with no ill effects.

Next November Californians are going to vote on Proposition 19, which the proponents are cleverly calling "Control and Tax Cannabis California 2010." In a state desperate for money to support public services (what state isn't?), this could be a winning proposition.

Today I came across an AlterNet article, "Will California Legalize Pot?", that thoroughly analyzes the initiative's chances of success. Bottom line: pretty good, but no guarantee.

Polls in April and May found support at 56 percent and 51 percent, respectively. A SurveyUSA poll released this month shows support at 50 percent, 10 points over those against it. A new Public Policy Polling poll found the divide to be even greater, with 52 percent supporting and 36 percent nixing it -- and the campaign says these results are more consistent with its internal polling.

But another poll also released this month, the Field poll, showed that more people oppose the initiative than support it, at 48 to 44 percent. (This contrasts with the last Field poll, conducted over a year ago, which found support at 56 percent.) No matter which numbers you're looking at though, 50, 52 or even 56 percent isn't all that comforting. It's one thing to say yes to a pollster, it's quite another thing to get out and vote that way.

That made me curious to see the status of attempts to legalize marijuana in Oregon. I'd forgotten, or maybe never was aware, that back in 2008 a group called Oregonians for Cannabis Reform 2010 was promoting an "Oregonian Cannabis Tax Act."

Looks like California pot advocates borrowed the campaign focus (tax cannabis) and managed to be successful in getting an initative on the ballot in 2010, while Oregonians will merely be voting on Measure 74, which would allow non-profit dispensaries to sell cannabis to those who have a medical marijiuana card.

But the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2012 is waiting in the weeds (so to speak). Organizers enthusiastically say that it will...

Protect children! This is the real Protect Our Children initiative. The Cannabis Tax Act (CTA) will take the lucrative marijuana market off of the black market where children and substance abusers often control it today, and place it in stores, where the age limit of 21 and older is strictly enforced.

Help farmers! Oregon will license farmers to cultivate cannabis for both medicinal and adult private use. Farmers will also be able to grow industrial hemp without a license for paper, fabric, protein and oil.

Allow doctors to prescribe untaxed cannabis through pharmacies, so patients won't have to grow their own or buy medicine illegally.

Raise millions of dollars in new public revenue, lowering the tax burden on all and saving you money. This will take the profit out of crime.

Restore industrial hemp, the most productive agricultural source of fiber protein and oil. Hemp seed oil is diesel fuel. The first cordage, cloth and paper were created from hemp fiber.

Wipe out the black-market. The CTA allows police and the courts to concentrate on real criminals that hurt others, not arrest, prosecute and jail harmless, productive adult cannabis users. Stop our government from tearing families apart. Let's show real family values and end cannabis prohibition.

Sounds good to me.

Today I sent off $25 to support the California Proposition. Prospects for the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2012 would be better if we could follow in California's footsteps, rather than blazing our own trail as the first state to legalize marijuana.

Here's an interesting sidelight: the author of the AlterNet article wondered about the broader political effects of marijuana initiatives.

The multi-layered appeal to ending marijuana prohibition even has some expert election observers believing that ballot initiatives legalizing cannabis may be the Democrats' answer to the gay marriage bans that drive Republican voters to the polling places. That theory remains to be tested in November, but what is certain now is that the far-reaching benefits that come with legalizing the marijuana industry in California have attracted a broad coalition of supporters of all stripes.

Well, this assumes that Democrats are higher on marijuana legalization than Republicans.

I'd say that's true, but if many Republicans truly believe in libertarianism and getting government out of our lives as much as possible, they should be on board with letting adults decide for themselves whether to use pot.

Here's another perspective on the issue, "Could Pot Drive Turnout in Key Elections?" I sure hope so.

Putting the question of marijuana legalization on state ballots in 2012 may be one of the most effective ways for a dispirited Democratic Party to get reluctant voters out to the polls. The wild card in the coming midterms and in 2012 will be the "surge" voters -- people who were driven to the polls in 2008 through a once-in-a-generation mix of shame at the outgoing administration and hope in a new, barrier-breaking candidate. Democrats are investing millions in figuring out how to get those voters out, and the marijuana issue is getting increasing attention from political operatives.

Hey, even the Wall Street Journal has noticed.

Marijuana is getting high attention -- legalization near?

No, it isn't a flashback from my '60 days. I've carefully perused the dates on a bunch of marijuana-related stories, and they're all recent.

Something is happening here, particularly in the western reaches of the United States, and I don't know what it is. (To paraphrase an old friend.) But it sure seems like the times they are a-changin'.

Evidence...

Oregon's Governor is about to sign a bill that will legalize the industrial production of hemp.

Oregon is on the verge of becoming the first Western state to allow farmers to grow industrial hemp... Oregon will then become the seventh state to allow farmers to grow hemp, even though the federal government says it's still an illegal crop.

Plans are being laid to place a citizen initiative legalizing marijuana on Oregon's 2010 ballot.

If they can gather 87,000 signatures to put it on the ballot, and voters then approved the initiative, the act would set up the Oregon Cannabis Control Commission. The new agency would sell pot to buyers 21 and over, with 90 percent of the profit going to the state’s general fund and 10 percent for drug treatment.

Yesterday the Associated Press ran a lengthy story about California's marijuana "green rush."

Marijuana has transformed California. Since the state became the first to legalize the drug for medicinal use, the weed the federal government puts in the same category as heroin and cocaine has become a major economic force.

No longer relegated to the underground, pot in California these days props up local economies, mints millionaires and feeds a thriving industry of startups designed to grow, market and distribute the drug.

A few days ago a New York Times article, "Marijuana is Gateway Drug for Two Debates," spoke of the push for legalization and the concern about negative effects of today's more powerful pot.

The drug cannot lead to fatal overdose and its hazards pale in comparison with those of alcohol. But at the same time, marijuana can be up to five times more potent than the cannabis of the 1970s, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Thanks to Jack Bog's blog, I learned that there's an iPhone app for finding marijuana.

The purpose of the app is to help locate legal medical marijuana in states and locations where it can be found. Will this app lead thousands of iPhone users to cannabis, or is it a tool of a movement in favor of marijuana legalization? The answer, surprisingly, is both.

This month Portland's Willamette Week had a cover page story, "Just Say Now," about the fight to legalize marijuana.

Nearly every day offers another object lesson in the merits of marijuana reform. And the American people seem to be noticing. At least four polls in the past three months have shown a greater uptick in the public’s receptiveness to legalization than ever before.

Going back in time to a year ago, a fascinating article in The New Yorker described how medical marijuana is transforming the California pot industry.

Only a small percentage of consumer marijuana sales in California occur within the medical-marijuana market. Even so, the dispensaries, by serving as a gold standard for producers and consumers, have fuelled the popularity of high-end strains in much the same way that the popularity of the Whole Foods grocery chain has brought heirloom lettuce to ordinary supermarkets.

And -- no big surprise -- there's a web site, WeBeHigh, that bills itself as: Worldwide Marijuana Travel Guide, Marijuana Prices, Spots & Legalization Status

I checked out Portland, Oregon. The "smoking tolerance level" approaches Virtually Legal status.

Portland police are very forgiving toward marijuana smokers, and do not look for them. In fact, there are some areas in Portland (see “spots”) where it is very common to smoke pot in public.

Legalizing marijuana would boost the economy

Way to go, Tom Ammiano. He's a California assemblyman who has introduced a bill to legalize marijuana in his state.

AB 390 would decriminalize pot but regulate it like alcohol, limiting sales to those 21 and over. It would also impose a tax of $50 per ounce—something Ammiano said could bring $1 billion annually into our cash-starved state.

The bill doesn't have much chance of passing, given the United States' irrational drug policies. But it's a much-needed step in the right direction.

Recently New Scientist ran a story, "Radical alternatives proposed for cannabis controls," that described why legalizing marijuana makes both scientific and societal sense.

What should we do to minimise the harm cannabis can cause to the health and welfare of users and to society at large? One answer, according to a report by a group of prominent academics and government advisers, is to change the law to allow the state to prepare and distribute the drug for recreational use.

This proposal is the most controversial of several recommendations from a commission assembled by the Beckley Foundation, a British charity dedicated to exploring the science of psychoactive substances. "The damage done by prohibition is worse than from the substance itself," says Amanda Feilding, the founder of the Beckley Foundation.

Click on this image to see the relative harm of cannabis, tobacco, heroin, and alcohol. It makes absolutely zero sense that the least harmful substance, cannabis, is illegal while tobacco and alcohol are blessed (and taxed) by governments.

The NORML blog keeps track of marijuana-related legislation and other policy initiatives aimed at bringing this country out of its crazy Reefer Madness! mentality. It was good to see that the Obama administration is going to put a stop to federal raids on state medical marijuana providers.

I also found "10 Reasons to Get High About Marijuana in 2009." Excellent.

If the Oregon legislature ever takes up a bill to legalize the selling of marijuana, I'll go to a hearing and present myself as living testimony in favor of cannabis' harmlessness. For a couple of years during my San Jose State college days, 1966-1971, I was stoned nearly every day.

Yet I got great grades, nearly all A's. My friends and I drove our cars and motorcycles all around the Bay Area, with nary a marijuana-fueled accident on our record. Nobody ever had the slightest desire to try hard drugs -- just other varieties of psychedelics.

Most perusasive of all in these difficult economic times, we contributed mightily to local restaurant profit margins. Those midnight munchie runs to Denny's put a lot of money into corporate pockets, and tips in the waitresses'.