The Oregon Attorney General Race Between Ellen Rosenblum And Dwight Holton Is Very Important To The Future Of Medical Marijuana
Loyal readers know by now how I feel about the 2012 Oregon Attorney General race between Ellen Rosenblum and Dwight Holton. But it doesn’t seem like enough other people know about it, especially outside of Oregon. I’m sure a lot of medical marijuana supporters are thinking, ‘Well it is another state, so why should I care?’ I will explain exactly why you should care. For starters, Dwight Holton is not from Oregon. He has never tried a case in Oregon, and he wasn’t even a member of the Oregon bar until 2009 from what I’m told.
What Dwight Holton has done in Oregon is lead a series of raids on medical marijuana providers in Southern Oregon Oregon last fall as Interim US Attorney. Dwight Holton came into Oregon as an outsider and led the charge that deprived hundreds of legal patients of their medicine. As a candidiate, Holton told the Eugene City Club that Oregon medical marijuana law is a “train wreck.” It’s clear he intends to throw patients using the program on the rails of the Dwight Holton Career Politican Express.
To make matters worse, Dwight Holton is running as a ‘Republican in Democrat’s clothing.’ This is proven by his comments referred to above, where before he called the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program a ‘train wreck’ he talked about aligning himself with Republicans around the state when elected. You can hear him say it for yourself by listening to the audio found at the this link.
Why would an obvious Republican run as a Democrat for Oregon Attorney General in 2012? Because there is no GOP candidate for Oregon Attorney General in 2012. Dwight Holton is running against Ellen Rosenblum in the Oregon Democratic primary on May 15, and it’s winner take all. Dwight Holton, and his team of elitists, think they can pull one over on Oregon voters by purchasing the election. They hope that by the time Oregon voters realize what happened come November, it will be too late, and one of the most raging anti-medical marijuana crusaders on the planet will be in charge of the judicial system of a state that has the second oldest medical marijuana program in the nation.
It’s no coincidence that this is happening. Anti-medical marijuana opponents know that if they can install Dwight Holton in Oregon as Attorney General, they can begin to dismantle the West Coast medical marijuana scene by controlling the administrative process. They don’t care what voters approved in 1998, they know that if they can be crafty and win this particular election, they can strike a blow in the heart of the West Coast. What do you think will happen next? Do you think it will just be Oregon?
Elected officials, candidates, potential candidates, and political consultants all over the country watch what happens to the campaigns of other candidates who take various positions on issues. If a candidate gets killed for suggesting a sales tax, other candidates will stay away from suggesting a sales tax. If a campaign picks up steam by calling for attacks on Iran, more candidates will begin calling for attacks on Iran. IF DWIGHT HOLTON WINS ON A PLATFORM THAT INCLUDES ANTI-MEDICAL MARIJUANA POSITIONS, MORE CANDIDATES WILL BEGIN DOING THE SAME. See why you need to take more notice of this, regardless of where you live?!
If Dwight Holton is elected, you will hear the words ‘we cannot carry out the medical marijuana program in Oregon anymore because it leaves state workers liable to federal prosecution.’ That phrase has been a very successful tactic that has been used in medical marijuana states on the East Coast to block implementation, but it has never been tried in a state that already has a program going. This is their chance to try to take us down, WE CAN’T LET IT HAPPEN!!!
Right now, it’s time to put candidates, officeholders, and political consultants across the nation on notice. Let’s show them that if you try to make a name for yourself by going hard after medical marijuana patients, or marijuana users in general, it will cost you votes, and possibly elections. Let’s show them that we want candidates that have compassion for suffering people, and logical reasoning skills that recognize that medical marijuana is real, and that forcing your personal views onto the justice system is wrong and will not be tolerated.
The race is so important to medical marijuana, that two web campaigns and a ‘Not Dwight Holton’ Facebook page (like it!) were started by the medical marijuana community to oppose his candidacy. The links are provided below. There are numerous mj initiatives going on across America, and in no way do I want to take anything away from them. However, outside of the Presidential race, there is no other candidate-based race that is more important than this one for medical marijuana. Or for marijuana in general, because if they are trying to dismantle medical marijuana programs, how do you think they feel about legalization initiatives?
www.Facebook.com/NotDwightHolton
For readers out there that are wondering about Dwight Holton’s opponent Ellen Rosenblum, and her stance on marijuana policy, here is an interview that she was kind enough to send answer back to me for. Dwight Holton’s campaign has refused to respond to any of my questions. My questions are in bold, Ellen Rosenblum’s answers are underneath:
Q: If marijuana is confiscated from a medical marijuana patient, and it is determined that the patient committed no crimes, would you instruct law enforcement to return the medical marijuana that was seized?
Yes. The law on the books in Oregon currently requires the return of seized marijuana under certain limited circumstances. As Attorney General, if those circumstances exist, I would advise law enforcement agencies to return marijuana to card-holding patients.
Q: Last year many medical marijuana gardens were raided, and many threatening letters were sent to medical marijuana businesses. Should we expect similar actions if you are elected, or will you take a different approach?
I will take a different approach. I strongly support the right of patients to obtain the medicine they need to help them cope with their medical conditions. The voters of Oregon enacted the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (OMMA), and I support their decision. Additionally, I do not see the enforcement of laws against marijuana an effective use of our limited public resources. The priorities of the next Attorney General should be protecting children, families, and the elderly from abuse and fighting for consumers by taking on criminals, scammers, and corporations that break the law – not marijuana enforcement.
Q: Oregon will likely join Colorado and Washington with a marijuana legalization initiative on the ballot in the 2012 election. What are your thoughts on this type of initiative?
Marijuana should be the lowest priority of law enforcement. My position would of course depend on the language of the initiative, but I support directing our scarce public safety resources towards other purposes.
Q: If Oregon voters approved marijuana legalization at the ballot box, would you respect the will of the voters, or would you uphold the will of the federal government?
As Attorney General, I will defend the laws of Oregon adopted by the voters or the Legislature.
