Sick Oregonians Smoke Pot Legally

By HANS GREIMEL Associated Press Writer

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - With a deep drag on her glowing pipe, Gail Willock gave a satisfied stare through her hazy basement. In the 30 years she’s smoked marijuana for arthritis and glaucoma, it was probably her first legal puff.

Willock is among the seriously ill Oregonians who breathed a sigh of relief Thursday as a new medical marijuana law kicked in that allows them to puff with impunity.

"I don’t feel nearly as criminal as I used to," Willock said. "I don’t expect to have any problems with the local police, but I don’t know about the feds."

The 48-year-old woman said marijuana cuts her pain in half and eliminates the spasmotic nightmares triggered by her years in Vietnam as a Red Cross volunteer.

Willock welcomed the law passed by voters last month, but bureaucrats are hustling to iron out such details as permits and policing policies by May 1, when medical marijuana users will receive special state registration cards.

Until then, they are protected under an affirmative defense provision written into the law. While police are still able to arrest marijuana users, suspects can dodge a conviction by having a doctor confirm that the drug could ease their debilitating illness.

Voters in Alaska, Arizona, Nevada and Washington last month also approved measures allowing use of marijuana for medical reasons. California voters had already approved a similar measure.

Sufferers of AIDS, cancer and glaucoma qualify as long as they don’t sell the drug or use it in a public place. But the Oregon law also exempts from prosecution people who suffer severe pain, nausea, seizures and muscle spasms.

"It’s open to the potential for abuse," said Molalla police Chief Rob Elkins, who sits on a task force charged with drawing up a police response to the law.

By Hunter T. George, The Associated Press

MARIJUANA LAW TAKES EFFECT NOW, PROSECUTORS ON LOOKOUT

OLYMPIA - Prosecutors in Washington's largest county say they'll be on the lookout for people trying to abuse the voter-approved law legalizing the medical use of marijuana. It takes effect today.

"This was a symbolic initiative. The jails are not filled with cancer patients who were busted for smoking pot," Satterberg said.

"We can't handle much more attention," said McKee, who said she provides pot to about 400 people who brought notes from their doctors. "I've talked to a couple of sets of people in the past few months that are going to open up new branches, so to speak."

(Marijuananews note: McKee is a great activist.)

On Nov. 3, more than 1.1 million Washington voters approved the measure that allows people with certain terminal or debilitating diseases such as cancer and AIDS to grow, possess and use marijuana for relief. It also seeks to protect physicians who recommend pot to patients.

Similar measures passed in Alaska, Arizona, Oregon and Nevada.

Maleng opposed the initiative on the grounds that some sections were vague and could cause problems for law enforcement.

Satterberg said prosecutors anticipate the biggest problems will involve people who try to defend large growing operations on behalf of a friend or relative who is sick.

The new law allows patients to assign a "care giver" who can grow marijuana on their behalf, but the agreement must be in writing and cannot be applied retroactively after an arrest, Satterberg said.

Other problems are expected as patients, physicians and law enforcers try to figure out how much pot constitutes a 60-day supply, the amount specified in the law.

"What's likely to happen is people who are aware of the law will try to stretch it to cover their commercial or recreational activity," Satterberg said. "It will probably fall in that category of you know it when you see it."

The Seattle family physician who sponsored I-692 said he's working to help patients, physicians and law enforcers to understand the law's limits.

"We're planning to work with the Washington State Medical Association and with sheriffs and police chiefs to do seminars at their next meetings so we can teach them the difference between medical and recreational use, from our perspective," Dr. Rob Killian said.

"I feel like there's a vacuum. No one else is going to do it, so I'll do it," Killian said.

The governor's office had no comment yesterday.

Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, one of Washington's leading anti-drug advocates who helped lead the charge against the initiative, urged law enforcers to make it "crystal clear" that abuse will not be tolerated.
See The Mfiles – More Paranoid Than The Xfiles But Less Believable;
Federal Funds Used For Prohibitionist Propaganda Against Washington State Medical Marijuana Intiative
Lies and Libels and Nonsense 

Satterberg said the law is designed to provide a legal defense for patients and physicians who meet the criteria. There's nothing for the government to "implement," he said.