March 17, 1998

By Jeff Mapes of the Oregonian Staff

DEMOCRATS SUPPORT USE OF MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

Some state party officials worry that the endorsement by platform convention delegates might hurt candidates in the fall elections.

The Oregon Democratic Party has gingerly stepped into the growing political fight over marijuana by endorsing the medicinal use of the illegal drug.

Delegates to a party platform convention in Eugene last weekend voted 72-69 in favor of medicinal marijuana after Democratic officials fretted about whether it would hurt or help their candidates in the fall elections.

Republicans said Monday it was too soon to tell whether they would make marijuana a big issue in candidate races. But marijuana is destined to be a prominent issue.

Voters will be asked Nov. 3 whether they want to approve or reject the law passed by the 1997 Legislature recriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Currently, possession of less than an ounce is a noncriminal violation punishable by a maximum fine of $1,000.

In addition to a short platform of general goals, the Democratic Party approved a legislative agenda that says physicians should be able to prescribe marijuana for medical uses.

But other Democratic officials said they worried their candidates would be portrayed as soft on drugs.

"Several people expressed my view, which is that this is going to be misinterpreted," said Marc Abrams, state party chairman. Abrams said he fears the party’s stance will be sensationalized.

Rep. John Minnis, R-Wood Village, who led the fight for the 1997 bill to recriminalize marijuana possession, said the Democratic support for medical marijuana might be "great cannon fodder" for Republicans.

He said that smoking marijuana offers no proven medical benefit and that federal authorities should decide on the use of new medications. The Democratic action is "like saying heroin is such a good drug because a lot of people like it," he said.

Minnis acknowledged the popularity of medical-marijuana initiatives in other states. He said he doesn’t know whether Republicans would use the issue. Joel Cole, a spokesman for the Oregon Republican Party, noted that party platforms don’t generally become big issues in campaigns.

One exception was in 1990 when the Democratic Party endorsed a ban on logging in old-growth forests. That led some Democrats in timber regions to change their registration and appeared to contribute to Republican gains in rural legislative districts.

"Let they who are without crazy planks cast the first stone," said Abrams, criticizing the Republican platform for provisions that called for teaching "scientific creationism" in school and defending parents’ right to spank their children. (Ed. note: With friends like these….)

The Democratic policy agenda also supported repeal of the law that returns higher-than-expected income tax collections to corporate and individual taxpayers. The money should go into a "rainy day" fund to help tide the state over in an economic downturn.

The party endorsed expanding the Oregon Health Plan to cover all low-income people and supported increased vehicle registration fees to pay for transportation projects.

The agenda included strong stands in favor of abortion and gay rights, and support for measures aimed at spurring union drives.