Moratoriums: One Step Back for Oregon

A sweeping number of Oregon cities have imposed a moratorium on medical marijuana. It is clear to me that these moratoriums have been set out of fear rather than fact. Just take a look at the rules! They are certainly stringent enough to stand without additional regulations at the city and county level. Oregon’s larger municipalities have decided to forego moratoriums and allow dispensaries to open. Fortunately, the largest concentration of Oregon’s medical marijuana registrants live in these areas.

One of the biggest disappointments is that the two counties that border Multnomah County, our most liberal, both instituted moratoriums. Washington County was less vocal about their meetings and did not provide much opportunity for activists and program registrants to have a voice in their decision. Clackamas County did provide a provision to lift the moratorium earlier if the Board of Commissioners so chooses. I think it was a political move in an effort to assuage those of us who are opposed, and I will be surprised if that really happens. They also said that they would be sure to include stakeholders when they do sit down to make their rules.

In the mean time, those who need dispensary services will have to travel to where they are allowed. This can be so much more than an inconvenience for those who are too fragile to make a trip. Many of today’s patients will be gone in a year. I wonder what the representatives who voted in favor of the moratoriums have to say to the families of those who will lose loved ones for lack of access to the cannabis that could save them. How will they rationalize their irrational decisions?

The crazy thing about all this is that Oregon also has three legalization efforts in the works. All three of them protect the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program and keep it intact. If any of them make the ballot and pass, everything could change. We are the ones who can make it happen. Please support legalization efforts in your area. The time to stand up and speak out is now.