Oregon Medical Marijuana Action Alert - Senate Bill 964

The Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) is being threatened again by Oregon politicians that refuse to respect the will of the voters. These politicians are supposed to be working on implementing Oregon Measure 91, which legalized recreational marijuana in Oregon for those that are over 21. However, these politicians have spent all of their time trying to use this as an opportunity to attack the OMMP. That is not the job that they were selected to do, and once again, we need to remind them of that fact. Below is an action alert that the Oregon Measure 91 campaign sent out. I urge you to participate:

THANKS TO MEASURE 91 SUPPORTERS, OVER 56% OF OREGON VOTERS SUPPORTED A BETTER APPROACH TO MARIJUANA POLICY: A NEW APPROACH THAT WILL BETTER PRIORITIZE LAW ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES, IMPROVE LIVES AND GENERATE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR OREGON.

Unfortunately, the goals and priorities of Measure 91 are threatened by legislation under consideration today in the Oregon Senate.

Senate Bill 964, sponsored by Democratic Senator Ginny Burdick and Republican Senator Jeff Kruse, will allow a handful of city council members and county commissioners to ban state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries, without a mandatory public vote of the people. This provision for medical marijuana businesses will hurt Measure 91’s voter-approved opt-out procedure, requiring a vote of the people, either in future legislation or future lawsuits. It is imperative that any opt-out procedure for marijuana businesses match the provision passed by over 56% of Oregon voters. Both The Oregonian and the Register-Guard have published editorials supporting a vote of the people.

Senate Bill 964 goes against the will of the voters and hurts the priorities of the state and even the federal government. Easily opting-out of state-regulated marijuana businesses will only exacerbate the illegal, underground market. Oregon voters want to stop treating marijuana as a crime and to bring as many people into a state-regulated system as possible; Senate Bill 964 goes against voters’ interests.

While ending the failed policy of treating marijuana use as a crime is a bipartisan issue, the Democrats control the Oregon Legislature. Democratic Representatives Ann Lininger, Peter Buckley and Ken Helm have stood up for the will of the voters and blocked unilateral city and county bans in the Measure 91 Implementation Committee.Unfortunately, Senate President Peter Courtney has created a new Senate Measure 91 Implementation Committee to try and pass Senate Bill 964 over the objections of the three House Democrats.

Please let the House and Senate Democrats know that they need to stand with Representatives Lininger, Buckley and Helm and stand up for the will of Oregon voters.

Please send emails to the Senate and House Democrats by copying and pasting the emails below. Further, phone calls to key senators and representatives are needed as well and those numbers are also down below. Simply remind them that over 56% of Oregonians voted on a public vote before any city our county could ban any state-regulated marijuana business and that they should oppose Senate Bill 964 because it goes against the will of the voters and the priorities of the state.

Email Addresses to Cut and Paste:
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