Activists Continue Dispensary Initiative for Oregon

Summary: I 28 is an initiative proposal drafted by Voter Power. It is the product of years of discussion, countless meetings, input from hundreds of patients and seemingly endless online discussion. I 28 would do four things:  

1) Create a regulated medical marijuana supply system of nonprofit dispensaries and producers. These entities would be subject to stringent regulation by DHS, including background checks, inspections, and financial reporting. DHS would have broad authority to regulate producers and dispensaries but DHS would never possess marijuana or do anything to directly violate federal law. Producers could sell to any dispensary and dispenaries could sell to any cardholding patient so the system would operate as a regulated free market that would increase quality and lower prices. Dispensaries could be store fronts but could also assume other forms such as coops or delivery services. Producers could earn a living wage legally so would have no incentive to divert marijuana as some argue PRMGS do under the current system. The new supply system would supplement the current grow your own medicine system so patients could choose what would work best for them. At dispensaries patients could eventually obtain dosage labelled, quality controlled cannabis preparations that they are unlikely to be able to produce on their own.

2) Create a program regulated by DHS but operated through dispensaries that would assist the neediest OMMA patients. The details such as income levels to qualify, amounts of medicine patients receive and whether medicine would be free or subsidized would be determined by the DHS rulemaking process. I28 calls for this program to be formally evaluated annually with input from ACMM so it could be fine tuned to make sure that the goal of getting high quality medicine to the neediest patient could be realized.

3) Allows DHS to sponsor research into medical marijuana. This research could range from simple surveys of registered patients and physicians to funding double blind placebo controlled research designed to establish quality control standards for cannabis medicines.

4) Raise money for other DHS programs. The regulated supply system would produce substantial revenue. Dispensaries and producers would pay $1-2000 license fees and 10% of gross sales. This could generate millions of dollars in revenue. Patient registration fees could be reduced or eliminated. DHS could use revenue generated for other health programs like health care for kids or drug treatment programs. The Coalition for Patients Rights (CPR) is the political committe formed to sponsor this initiative petition. 82,000 signatures of registered voters must be collectted by July 2010 to qualify for the 2010 ballot. CPR has already collected over 25,000 signatures.

They have hired Grove Insight, one of Oregon's most respected pollsters, to guage public support for this measure and other marijuana issues. Polling on the ballot title for I28 shows that it is supported by 59% of Oregon voters and opposed by 32%. Democrats, Independent voters, better educated voters and younger voters all support I28 by even bigger margins. Republicans and rural voters represent the strongest opposition. We also polled on support for the OMMA. Currently 63% of voters support the current law, which is more than the 55% that voted to pass the original law in 1998. Interestingly, however, support for the OMMA has dropped in the past few years. I point this out because some have argued that dispenaries will erode support for the OMMA. The poll results indicate that it is problems with the current system that is eroding support not dispenaries. A regulated supply system may actually increase public support. Even law enforcement may eventually conclude that a regulated supply system with formal research and assistance programs works far better than the unregulated sytem where patients are often forced to designate strangers subject to no meaningful regulation to produce their medicine.

I 28 represents the hard work of Oregon patients cooperating to improve the OMMA and make it work for everyone. The numbers cited above make it clear that I28 will get on the ballot and has a good chance of passing. But it could fail for any number of reasons and we could be reduced to band aids instead of real solutions. We urge everyone in this program to take a good look at I 28 and get involved to make it happen. This is not a project of out-of-state billionaires like the original OMMA was. This is Oregon patients working locally to make a medical marijuana law that leaves no one behind. Over the years there have been many concerns raised about dispenaries. Fear of how the federal government will react to this law is a valid concern. Every effort was made in drafting this law to minimize the possibility that I28 will cause a federal backlash with negative consequences. And I28 will now be coming into an Obama administration not a Bush administration. Several other states are also moving forward on dispensary laws - Rhode Island, New Mexico, and Arizona. The California system continues to evolve towards more appropriate regulation, is expanding rapidly in spite of federal interference and now provides hundreds of millions of dollars in sales tax revenue to the state of California. I28 represents the best model out there and needs your support.

Status:

Collecting signatures. I-28 signatures accepted by Oregon Secretary of State:

87,430 as of May 14
+ 20,621 + accepted May 20
-----------------------------
= 108,051 = as of May 26

Next turn-in for paid signatures (collected in May) is June 14. Then final deadline is July 2. May 14 was deadline for April paid signatures.

NOTE: They have counted all of the signatures handed in so far for I-28, but have not yet started the verification process. The count is much different than the next part of the process - verification.

Whether raising funds for Voter Power (voterpower.org) or for the Coalition for Patients Rights (coaltionforpatientsrights2010.com), getting funds to pay signature gatherers is the most pressing job for creating dispensaries. To send a domation via the mail: Coalition for Patients Rights (CPR), 8708 SE 32nd Ave, Milwaukie, Oregon 97222

Details:   While OMMA has done a good job of protecting patients, caregivers and growers from criminal prosecution, it does not provide for an adequate supply of medicine for patients. The Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) established by OMMA to register qualified card holders, does not help patients, in any way, acquire medical cannabis.

Patients deserve safe access to medicinal cannabis. Tragically, too many patients are currently without medicine. Patients are often too disabled or ill to produce medical cannabis. Others don’t have the financial resources and may live in subsidized housing, where they aren’t allowed to grow their medicine. Furthermore, many patients, such as those about to undergo chemotherapy, need medicine immediately, and cannot afford to learn how to grow or to wait three months waiting for a harvest.

The lack of a supply system forces many patients into the black market. This causes many dangers to patients who are battling severe and debilitating medical conditions, illnesses, disabilities and extreme poverty. In response to this lack of medicine, The Coalition for Patients’ Rights (CPR) was formed. CPR is a true coalition of patients and activists from across the state. After consulting with patients and activists all across Oregon, CPR filed Initiative 28, the Regulated Medical Marijuana Supply System Initiative to ensure that patients have medicine.

Initiative 28 does not repeal OMMA or take anything away from patients. The proposal merely gives patients more choices, provides medicine to low-income patients, funds medicinal cannabis research and generates millions of dollars for Oregon. Initiative 28 will provide safe access to Oregon’s patients by allowing non-profit dispensaries to provide medicine to patients in exchange for the reimbursement of their costs. Also, producers will be allowed to provide medicine to dispensaries in exchange for reimbursement and to donate to patients. Further, the addition of dispensaries and producers to the OMMP will not take away the patients’ right to have their own medical marijuana garden. It will simply provide patients with more freedom and opportunities.

Both producers and dispensaries would have to comply with state regulations and pay a licensing fee and a fee equal to 10% of any profit to the OMMP. The OMMP would then establish a program to assist patients in need, be allowed to conduct or fund medical marijuana research, and increase funding for social services. Initiative 28 will also help protect the OMMP by generating millions of dollars in state revenue. This revenue will prevent any future attempt to abolish the program because politicians and voters will be unwilling to eliminate a program that helps keep taxes lower and funds social services, such as providing poverty-stricken citizens with health care coverage and food assistance.