Were the backers of Measure 80 - the marijuana legalization measure on the Nov. 6 ballot - interested solely in allowing people 21 and older to grow and to smoke the stuff in the privacy of their homes, they'd have a better chance of persuading voters to approve the initiative. But there's a lot more to Measure 80 than letting adults get a legal high. The initiative reads like propaganda designed to convince voters that marijuana is not only just another intoxicant, like alcohol, but a wondrous substance that can help to cure the state's physical as well as fiscal ills. [continues 323 words]
So Oregonians, having dispatched years ago such trifling topics as whether we should pump our own gasoline or pay sales tax, will at last get down to the weighty matter of marijuana. Literally, what with the munchies and all. A little over a year ago I wrote in this space about my chronic ambivalence regarding the idea of legalizing (more or less) marijuana in the state. Now, with the knowledge that a pro-pot initiative will be on the ballot Nov. 6, my position on the topic has started to solidify. [continues 835 words]
To the editor: I'm writing about: "Marijuana crop worth millions." I'm sure that many marijuana growers and sellers are thankful to the Malheur County Sheriff's Office for this latest marijuana bust and others like it. Without operations like this, marijuana would be worth what other easy-to-grow weeds are worth -- very little. Thanks to the Drug Enforcement Administration and other so-called "drug warriors," the easy-to-grow weed is worth more than pure gold -- and completely tax free. Any marijuana growers, sellers or traffickers arrested will soon be replaced. They always are. Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. [end]
If you found yourself with $100,000 a year with which to prevent the use of drugs and alcohol in Baker County, what would you do? That's the enviable predicament of the Baker County Prevention Coalition, thanks to the U.S. Department of Justice. The grant is renewable annually, so the coalition's job this first year will be to make a mark and show the federal government that $100,000 is money well-spent. No doubt the grant comes with strings attached and was won with a detailed and prescribed program of action. [continues 329 words]
