Pubdate: Fri, 16 May 2014
Source: Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)
Copyright: 2014 The Oregonian
Contact:  http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/324
Author: Kelly House

WILL LEGAL MARIJUANA IN WASHINGTON HARM MULTNOMAH COUNTY RESIDENTS?

Health Department wants to launch study

In Multnomah County, possessing marijuana without a medical excuse
could get you in trouble. But just across the river, residents are
free to toke.

Researchers in the Multnomah County Health Department want to know how
Washington State's legalization of recreational marijuana in 2012 will
affect Multnomah County residents.

The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Thursday approved the
department's request to pursue a National Institutes of Health grant,
worth up to $1.5 million, to study the social and public health
impacts of recreational marijuana in Washington State over three years.

It was not an easy sell.

Health Department staff originally requested permission to apply for
the grant on May 8, but the board delayed a vote after some
commissioners questioned whether Multnomah County should get involved
in the issue.

"It sounds a bit political to me," Commissioner Loretta Smith said
during the May 8 meeting.

Commissioner Judy Shiprack said it wasn't clear that studying
marijuana in Washington fell within the county's public health mission.

"I have real issues with extending the services of Multnomah County,
sort of like Don Quixote, in every direction at once," she said at the
time.

Health Department administrator Marc Harris argued that understanding
legal marijuana's impacts in Washington can help Multnomah County
leaders anticipate what's coming if Oregon voters approve recreational
marijuana. Advocates of legalizing the drug are already collecting
signatures to get a measure on the November ballot.

During Thursday's meeting to consider the county's participation in
the marijuana study, Harris told board members his team had made
changes to their study parameters to "hopefully have a nice impact on
local policymaking."

Smith voted against pursuing the grant, making the vote
4-1.

If Multnomah County wins the grant, Health Department workers will
collaborate with other entities in Washington and Oregon to study
whether marijuana legalization has led to an increase or decrease in
emergency room visits, arrests, traffic accidents, poison center calls
and other events impacting public health.

They'll also study how local governments have responded to the new law
by regulating the hours marijuana retailers can operate, the licenses
they must obtain, and the places where they can operate, among other
restrictions.

Lastly, they'll look into the economic benefits and drawbacks of
legalization.

The research would build off of a study conducted earlier this year to
assess the impacts of privatized liquor sales in Washington.
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MAP posted-by: Matt