Cirque du Cannabis

(SALEM, Ore.) - You have on your schedule many cannabis related issues this session, and I'm writing to ask you to please toss them all into the circular file where they belong. First and foremost, gardening the medicine my doctor recommends should not be grounds for you to take away my fourth amendment right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. If I'm doing something wrong, then the police should have no trouble getting a warrant to search my home. It is not American to consider me guilty until proven innocent!

Politicians and law enforcement officers are not always above corruption, and news reports and public perception often portray you in a very bad light. How would you feel if the public demanded that you allow us to inspect your homes and/or offices at will, just to make sure you're not doing anything wrong? Would it change your answer if I told you that this might curtail the corruption among your unscrupulous colleagues? No? You'd still want to see a warrant before you let your home be "inspected?" Now you know how I feel.

As for the idea of a state garden, while I believe there are aspects of the concept that have potential, again, I ask you to please take it off the table for this session. You are rushing into this with what seem to be good, but naive intentions. While I tend to receive at least some small benefit from even the least helpful strains of cannabis, I would be mostly bedridden if I didn't have access to the better strains for me. All cannabis is not created equal, and patients will be hurt if you rush into a state garden without understanding the complexities and challenges that are inherent to producing quality herbal medicine.

Instead, I'd like to ask you to consider setting this plan aside for a couple of years, while you gather a panel of botanists, horticulturists, and other scientists to determine the best ways to start a supplemental system that would help patients avoid the black market when their gardens don't produce enough. That is a legitimate problem, and I have had to under-medicate too often for just that reason. At the same time, invest in surveying all OMMP patients about what works and doesn't work for them, before attempting to "fix" the OMMA.

In the meantime, if you really want to help patients, then why not institute something similar to the old Oregon law that was supposed to turn over all of the cannabis confiscated by law enforcement to patients in need? This could be an excellent starting point for a supplemental system, and it could help you to work out the bugs before trying a wider approach that would involve cultivation. Additionally, it would save the state the cost of destroying and wasting the vast majority of that medicine.

As for all of the rest of the cannabis issues, I just want to say that I'm angry. I feel bitter, jaded, frustrated, and most of all angry. It seems to me that, instead of committing to serious research and the best science has to offer, you rely on the handfuls of us who show up to your hearings or write in, to give you information about how to best help more than 20,000 suffering Oregonians who all have different diseases and different needs. What results is band-aid legislation at best, no serious problems get solved, and, as was the case with SB 1085, sometimes you end up hurting patients like me. This has become a biennial Cirque du Cannabis.

It's time to get serious about ending the cannabis corruption on all sides -- patients, gardeners, and police alike. The best way to do this will be to make cannabis as easy and inexpensive to procure as St. John's Wort or Valerian (which, for me, produces a "high" similar to cannabis, though it doesn't help with the pain and nausea). There are many reasons little old ladies can garden their other medicinal herbs in their backyards without fear of robbery or worse, but the main reason is that these medicines are not illegal, and their prices are not artificially inflated by prohibition.

When you grow tired of the biennial Cirque du Cannabis, and when you grow tired of continuing to fund organized criminals through your prohibition of cannabis, please consider finally allowing free trade and showing the courage of taking on the worthy and noble responsibility of taxing and regulating Oregon's lucrative cannabis industry. It's simply the right thing to do.

Erin Hildebrandt wears many hats. She's wife to Bill Hildebrandt, mom to five beautiful kids, activist, artist, legally registered Oregon medical marijuana patient, public speaker, and an internationally published writer. She co-founded Parents Ending Prohibition, and her writing has been printed in Mothering Magazine, New York's Newsday, and Canada's National Post, among many others. Erin has been interviewed for a front page story in USA Today, and she has been published in the American Bar Association Journal. Speaking as a survivor of child sexual abuse, Erin also appeared on the Geraldo Rivera show. She has also testified before Oregon Senate and House committees, and Maryland Senate and House committees. We are very pleased to feature the work of Erin Hildebrandt on Salem-News.com.

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Daniel March 21, 2009 3:06 pm (Pacific time)

388 has problems but hb 3247 by 2 dems and 2 Reps is far worse . This bill would take away the right to grow it yourself medically and give it to the state . The state grows it, with controlled thc count , indoor and chemically . They then make the patient buy it, highly taxed , from the state controlled pharmacy . What a nightmare for the patients !!! Erin is correct just leave it alone !

Daniel March 21, 2009 3:28 pm (Pacific time)

HB 3247 is cosponsored by CHRIS BAKER D. Beaverton , CAROLYN TOMEI D. Milwaukie ,JIM THOMPSON R . Dallas and DON MAURER , R. Grants pass. The bill would add a $98 per oz tax on medical marijuana , only the state can grow and sell it . This bill would NOT legalize pot it only takes it from the medical patients and gives it to the state to control and tax . The state is also controlling the potently . In addition to the $98 tax the patient has to pay the state sanctioned pharmacy what ever they charge . Please let your reps know what you think .

Colleen McCool March 20, 2009 1:49 pm (Pacific time)

Erin is absolutely correct, "It's simply the right thing to do!" Allow us to grow our own medicinal herbs. It is safer for the individual and society. True patriots really don't want the government or a pill to solve all our problems. Our government's catering to powerful special interests like tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceuticals has suppressed many effective safer natural cures. Ignorance of the harm they have caused is no excuse. The climate for change in marijuana policy on the federal level is more promising at the moment than ever. Blessings to you and yours, Erin. Thank you Salem-News.com for all your drug policy change coverage.

Paul March 20, 2009 1:14 pm (Pacific time)

I just read bill 388 , the main problem i found was the limit of 24 ounces per site for up to 4 patients . The law allows 4 patents per site , a 24 ounce limit is only 6 ounces per patient . The current law states you can grow 6 plants per patient , times 4 equals 24 plants per site . This means if you harvest the 24 plants together the total has to be 24 ounces or less . Thats only 1 ounce per plant . Unless you grow very very small plants , bonsai , you will be over the legal numbers . I called Don Bishoff and spoke to him about this , he was very polite and said they would look into it . Don also said a number of other marijuana bills are being proposed . Does anyone have information on these ?

Daniel March 20, 2009 12:23 pm (Pacific time)

Thanks Erin , those who oppose senate bill 388 should contact its sponsor Bill Morrisette or his assistant Don Bishoff . Let them know how you feel , for those not familiar with the bill please google it and read . Editor can you reprint bill 388 thanks ..

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