Ballot Measure No. 8, "Allowing Medical Use of Marijuana," before Alaska voters in November, would be a bad law. All Alaskans concerned about the future of this great state should vote no on Ballot Measure No. 8. It creates a large new "bureaucratic Agency" in the department of Health and Social Services.

Ballot measure No. 8 requires a confidential registry of drug user patients. It requires the state to police the medical use of marijuana. Ballot measure 8 allows the drug user patient or the caregiver to cultivate, grow, possess and distribute marijuana for the patient. The patient and/or caregiver may grow and possess the following amounts of grass. 1. No more than 1 ounce of marijuana in usable form. 2. No More than 6 marijuana plants, with no more than three mature flowering plants producing usable marijuana at any time.

Basically, the patient drug user is allowed to grow his own pot. There is absolutely no quality control provisions in Ballot Measure No. 8. The patient’s physician would be prescribing "street- grade grass" for an alleged "debilitating condition.

"Debilitating" is so broadly defined in the bill as a medical condition that it can easily be misused by the patient, caregiver and or the prescribing physician.

The psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, tetrahyrocannbinol, is commonly referred to as THC. Today the THC or psychoactive ingredient in high quality street grass is 50 to 100 times stronger than the pot of the 1960’s smoked at the Filmore West, Golden Gate park and the Haight- Ashbury district of San Francisco. Many of the 1960s free-thinkers are now trying to push legalization nation wide.

See
Marijuana Prohibition And Potency, Price, And Safety -- 
"Is Marijuana Stronger Than It Was Back In the '60s, When Everyone Thought It Was Harmless?"
Analysis By Richard Cowan

Within 50 miles of Anchorage, marijuana with the highest THC content ever recorded is cultivated, grown, distributed and smoked. This is a very cash rich crop that sells in the area of $7,000 to $8,0000 per pound. This pot is raised in ideal indoor growing conditions and grafted to the best strains worldwide to achieve its exceptional quality.

The grass growing business is do cash rich that individuals are willing to risk everything to receive the high economic benefit. . Those at the top of the marijuana distribution chain do not use the product. They know the effects of marijuana on the mind, body, and soul. It destroys motivation, understanding and growth in all users, especially Alaska’s youths.

Marinol is a controlled substance with high quality control requirements. Ballot Measure No. 8 has no quality control guidelines. The drug user can grow his own street grass of unknown psychoactive or THC content.

Ballot measure No. 8 is simply a bad law that creates another large state bureaucracy. Basically, Alaskans will be forced to pay for the ill advised control of illegal drug users. In addition, drug user patients, their caregivers and physicians prescribing the street grass are held harmless for the consequences of pot use. Alaskan society as a whole must bear the burden economically and socially of pot users.

How can a well meaning, professional and competent physician prescribe a psychoactive drug that has not been tested and has no quality control criteria? The answer is that he or she cannot in good faith and in the best interest of the patient prescribe psychoactive marijuana without knowing the potency. Ballot measure No.8 is so poorly conceived and drafted that it is even a disgrace to the marijuana-legalization movement nation wide. It appears that the author of ballot measure No. 8 may have been smoking the product he or she endorses during drafting the bill.

Do not be fooled. Ballot Measure No. 8 is not about helping debilitated patients, the sick, the infirm or the dying. The act is about crime and economic greed. Ballot Measure No. 8 is an attempt to misuse the alleged individual rights to protect individuals and entities that grow, distribute, sell, transport, possess or use marijuana.

Legalization of marijuana tells Alaska youths that adults believe an illegal, non controlled street drug can be used responsibly. No drug can used responsibly when the "prescribing physician" has no knowledge of the strength of the psychoactive ingredient or THC.

From the Bend Bulletin
Op-ed
bulletin@bendbulletin.com
http://www.bendbulletin.com/

Dugan is Deschutes County district attorney. His address is Courthouse, Bend, Oregon 97701. Phone: 541-388-6529, FAX- 541-383-0965, Home phone: 541-388-2194

MEDICAL MARIJUANA MERELY A PATH TO LEGALIZATION

I believe that it is time for me to weigh in on Ballot Measure 67. Is it really a measure to ensure that medical use of marijuana can be achieved in Oregon, or is it a backdoor means of legalizing marijuana? A close look at the language of the proposed initiative leads to no other conclusion than the latter. This is not a medical bill; this is a legalization proposal.

The measure proposes that any person with a "debilitating medical condition" is eligible to receive the "registry identification card" which authorizes the "medical use of marijuana." Let us look at the definition of "debilitating medical condition." This condition exists if a person can convince a doctor that he/she is suffering from "severe pain" (I stubbed my toe last week and had a great deal of severe pain) or they are suffering from "severe nausea". ( My wife had the flu last month and it made me nauseous.)

Children are also eligible to receive the "magic card" if only one of the child’s parents or legal guardians consents to such. This means that children, persons under the age of 18 years, can manufacture, possess or deliver marijuana without legal consequences. Is it not evident that society should protect its children? Are we to assume that such a child with the "magic card" will make the right decisions and not provide marijuana to his/her friends at school?

It appears that the law is vague on how much marijuana a person can produce, possess or deliver. It says that the person with the "magic card" can have "three mature marijuana plants, four immature plants and one ounce of usable marijuana." But if the card holder has more than this they can raise an affirmative defense to show that the greater amount possessed or manufactured is medically necessary to treat symptoms suffered by the person. One fully mature plant of today’s high potency marijuana can be sold for thousands of dollars.

Oregon district attorneys are generally opposed to this proposed initiative and believe that it should be defeated in November. I am not opposed to, nor do I believe most district attorneys are opposed to, medically sound treatment procedures for patients with terminal diseases. Self-medication is not the answer. This proposal initiative goes to far. This is a back door attempt to legalize marijuana. Should this proposal pass, I believe virtually all criminal investigations and prosecutions for marijuana law violations would cease.