Small Town Politicians Living in Reefer Madness Bubble

(AUMSVILLE, Ore.) - What could only be defined as disinterest was expressed recently by the Aumsville City Council. What were they so dis-interested in? Learning the facts about marijuana.

Attending a July meeting with the city council was a memorable experience. City Planner John Morgan submitted a draft proposal on his suggestions for defining conditional use and discussed making the business district smaller.

Then Morgan proposed what the League of Oregon Cities believes should be done regarding Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, creating a “prohibition area” specifically in the business district.

There are no dispensaries in their fair city, but they are quite concerned that patients in Aumsville could eventually have access to the legal medicine in the same town they live in (and that would be bad).

The Council grazed over the fact that Oregonians will be voting on a marijuana legalization measure in November, and if it passes, much of what they’re working on would be moot.

After their lengthy discussion and much bantering about marijuana, I asked them who, if any of the councilors or the planners in attendance had read the Initiative coming before voters, none of them raised their hands. None.

No Water For You! Aumsville Property Owner Goes Without.

In Aumsville, Oregon, a medical marijuana grower has been made an example of. Maybe they are trying to drive her out. In olden times, they might have shunned her. Today, they just take away her city services.

Amy Zimmerman is a business owner in the city of Salem, and owns property in Aumsville.

The city administrator for Aumsville, Maryann Hill, has made it clear that they have assumed control and they don’t like marijuana.

So, they turned off the water to a small warehouse legally registered as a medical grow site. The building where the marijuana is being grown has never been a nuisance or a problem with police, and no marijuana is sold from the building. This was explained in full to the Administrator, who first prompted Zimmerman to get a permit from the County. She did so, complete with the mayor’s approval, and filed the permit.

At 5:05pm the day the permit was filed, Zimmerman received a call from Maryann Hill, reneging on the permit, citing land use issues.

It is like a terrible joke, that “the city” would knowingly deprive a property owner of water, because they are growing a garden. Would that have been the case if it were a rose garden?

Marijuana is grown legally in every county in Oregon, for medical use, and with a state-sanctioned permit. Growing a garden is just one aspect of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP), and is a limited activity.

Some growers provide marijuana to Medical Dispensaries throughout the state of Oregon, many only grow for patients directly. Either way, a garden is not a dispensary. If there is a garden in your area, that is precisely what it is and confusing it with a dispensary is wrong.

Cannabigotry Run Amok

The term “CannaBigotry” has been coined by Oregon attorney Lee Berger. Cannabigotry is in the news constantly, just like County Commissioners passing needless “moratoriums” all over the state to stay in keeping with other fear-based folks, not to mention the Sheriffs Associations- all perpetuating fear of marijuana.

The Aumsville city council is attempting to ban all cultivation, dispensaries and even the use of medical marijuana in the city of Aumsville. This is pure bigotry against Oregon patients who choose to medicate with marijuana, legally. They surely mean to get the message to other potential growers and businesses; they are not welcome in Aumsville.

Many small towns are especially at risk when it comes to progressive thinking - not all, of course, but it is true in areas where thinking outside the box, bucking traffic, causing waves and going against the stream is frowned upon.

For most people who are terribly comfortable with “the way things are”, they just don’t want to know anything that rocks their own boat. It is confusing and there is the risk, and they are not in the mood for adventure. This is called cognitive dissonance, and it is a common malady for mankind.

Change is scary. Change means maybe learning something that goes against what you’ve been taught.

Just like FDR and JFK both reinforced, the only thing to fear is fear itself. To fear change is to close off all information that will move us forward as a society.

Prohibition of marijuana has caused incredible damage to the United States of America. Millions of people have been arrested, imprisoned, and many, many have been killed.

The mistakes of the past do not need to be the primer for the future. It is our responsibility to improve the world in which we live, and that includes life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all of our neighbors. Yes, even those that use marijuana.

This lack-of-information campaign would make the Reefer Madness crowd of the late 1930’s proud. To think, after all these years of case studies and medical reviews around the world, it is still possible to live in a bubble, as if none of it exists.

Stand up for Cannabis Rights

Alcohol is readily available in Aumsville, Oregon. The risk to children is enormous, with excessive drinking accounting for one in every nine deaths in Oregon. As of yet, there are still no deaths from marijuana, but propagating fear is standard fare for politicians.

Serving the needs of patients is Amy Zimmerman's ongoing goal. She cares for the sick and ill and dying, providing them with medicine that they prefer, and that may be their key to a longer life, or at least one with more quality.

An ordinance proposal hearing is taking place Thursday at 6:30pm in Aumsville, which is just outside of Salem. The public is invited to join the meeting, and pro-cannabis supporters are expected to show up en masse as an example of the caring, strong community they are.

What happens in this tiny town may have more of an impact statewide than anyone expected.