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Oregon daily . -
emerald
Tuesday, July 3, 1984
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 86, Number 5
Marijuana petitioners reach 70,000 mark
Provosal moves closer to election
By Michael Clapp
/ Of the Emerald
Oregon Marijuana Initiative
supporters announced Monday
they have gathered more than
enough signatures to qualify the
measure for the November
ballot.
“It’s on fire, man.” said OM1
spokesperson William Conde.
“We have in excess of 70,000
Graphic by Karen Mobley
signatures in hand and we’re
getting 2,000 to 3,000 more
each day.”
To place the initiative on the
ballot, supporters must gather
at least 62,521 valid signatures
by July 6, when the petitions
must be submitted to the
secretary of state’s office for
verification.
Election officials will then
check a random sampling of
signatures and subtract the
percentage of invalid signatures
in the sampling from the total
number of signatures
submitted.
OMI supporters still are peti
tioning to add to their ‘‘margin
of security” and to insure
themselves of a spot on the
ballot.
The OMI would eliminate
criminal penalties for posses
sion and culitivation of mari
juana for personal consumption
for those over the age of 18. It
does not define personal con
sumption or place any limits on
how much could be grown.
‘‘Consumption is a personal
thing,” Conde said. ‘‘It’s a lot
like sugar. Some people buy it
1
Oregon Marijuana Initiative spokesperson William Conde said Monday that the proposal’s
signature drive is “on fire. ”
by the five-pound bag, some by
the ten, but if somebody’s got a
hundred pounds on their back
porch, you can assume they’re
in the sugar-selling business.”
Conde said he thinks legaliz
ing marijuana cultivation for
personal use will reduce the
amount of money used to pur
chase marijuana through illegal
channels and will bring that
money back into the regular
marlcpt
“Maybe somebody will come
into my lumberyard and buy
$150 worth of lumber instead of
buying an ounce of bud,” Con
de said.
But the important thing, ac
cording to Conde, is that the
voters will get the chance to
decide whether people should
be thrown in jail for “altering
their consciousness.”
Conde, who has worked on
the petition drive for a little
more than a year now, said he
feels the initiative has a good
chance of being approved by
voters in the fall. He said he has
noticed that a wide range of
people are willing to sign the
petition.
“Eighty percent of the people
over 65 who come into my store
sign the petition,’’ Conde said.
Hatfield lauds science facility
By Paul Ertelt
Of the Emerald
A proposed science building for the Univer
sity is one of the keys for economic recovery in
the Eugene/Springfield area, Sen. Mark Hat
field told members of the Springfield Chamber
of Commerce and the Board of Realtors
Monday.
“We have one of the greatest resources any
state can have in the University of Oregon,’’
Hatfield said.
The Senate recently approved a $2.3-million
grant for planning and design of the facility,
which will house many of the general sciences
and will provide space for high technology
research.
Turning to broader issues, Hatfield praised
recent efforts by the federal government to aid
the economy.
“The federal government is investing in
resources to help create the breakthroughs that
will create the jobs needed in our economy,”
Hatfield said.
But the federal government could also have
a negative effect on economic recovery if the
federal deficit is not reduced, he said.
Hatfield said working to reduce the deficit
has been one of his main activities in the
Senate. Hatfield has worked on a plan to
reduce the deficit by $150 billion over three
years, but he said that amount is not enough to
pay the interest on the deficit this year.
Deficit spending is not just a problem with
government, he said, but is a pervading
economic practice in this country.
“The business deficit in this country is
higher than the federal deficit,” Hatfield said.
“And the personal deficit in this country is
higher than the federal deficit.”
America’s deficit binge has international
repercussions, as fifteen percent of America’s
debts are owed to foreign countries, Hatfield
said. And that figure is going up, he said.
One solution to the deficit is restructuring
the federal tax system to make it more efficient
and to facilitate collection of unpaid taxes, he
said.
The second step is holding the line on both
military and non-military spending. “We’ve
Photo by Michael Clapp
Sen. Mark Hatfield discussed the federal debt
and defended the recently-signed Oregon
Wilderness Bill while in Eugene Monday.
not been able to get the votes to reduce or hold
the line on military spending,” Hatfield said.
In the last three years, however, the Senate
has appropriated $100 less for the military
than the administration has requested, he
added.
Another cause of the deficit is government
“entitlement” programs that are set up in such
a way that money goes to those who do not
need it, the senator said.
“Why should we put out $1 billion to people
who make $30,000 a year for medical
assistance when there are so many others who
need it?” he asked.
But Medicare, social security, food stamps
and certain educational programs are “very
sacred, sensitive political programs” that Con
gress is not willing to tamper with, he said.
Though Hatfield said he would support an
amendment to balance the budget, a constitu
tional convention would be a “melee,” with
single-issue groups battling to get their pet
amendments into the Constitution.
Hatfield also defended the Oregon
Wilderness Bill, which he sponsored in the
Senate. The bill, signed by Pres. Ronald
Reagan last week, will stabilize the state’s
timber industry by taking forestry manage
ment out of the courts and putting it back in
the hands of the forest service, Hatfield said.
“I don’t know of any judges who have been
to forestry school,” he said.
Picnics, parades, parties
highlight July 4 offerings
By Michael Clapp
Of the Emerald
Chill the watermelon, grab a
six-pack and toss in some
sparklers for the kids. It’s time
for the summer’s all-American
holiday: the Fourth of July.
If you live in the Eugene area
you can probably see the
Autzen Stadium fireworks
display from your backyard, but
if you want to get out and enjoy
a full day’s festivities here’s
some of what’s happening and
where.
•The 29-piece “Summer Con
cert Band’’ is featured at the Or
chard Point Park Fourth of July
picnic. The band will play from
7 to 9 p.m. at the park, located
west of Eugene at Fern Ridge
Reservoir.
There also will be a fireworks
display by the Eugene Yacht
Club and free train and pony
rides and a pillow bounce for
children. Organizers of the
event recommend you bring a
picnic lunch or plan to buy
lunch at one of the park’s con
cession stands. There also is a
$1.50 per vehicle admission
charge to Orchard Park.
•For the athletic minded who
might like to celebrate In
dependence Day with a bit of
healthy competition, the annual
Butte to Butte 10-kilometer run
starts at 8 a.m. at Spencer Butte
Middle School. There will be
entertainment along the course
of the six-mile run and a post
race breakfast, hosted by the
Emerald Empire Kiwanis Club,
near the finish line.
Runners can register between
10 a.m. and 8 p.m. today at the
Eugene Hilton or between 6:30
and 7:30 a.m. at the starting line
on the day of the race. Entry fee
for the race is $8 today and $10
tomorrow morning.
If you’re not in shape for 10
kilometers you might want to
stake out a spot along the course
and watch. With $1,000 in prize
money awaiting the first place
finishers in both men’s and
women’s categories and $5,000
to be split up among the top 10
competitors, the contest should
be fierce.
•A chicken barbeque, frisbees
and “lots of fun and craziness”
is planned for the Alton Baker
Park picnic put on by the Active
20/30 Club and KDUK. The
$3.75 barbeque dinners will be
served from 11 a.m. to dusk and
will include chicken, potato
chips and ice cream.
At 4 p.m. those at the park
will be invited to march over to
Autzen Stadium and watch the
fireworks display. There will be
on-the-ground pyrotechnical
exhibitions, as well as aerial
displays. Admission is free, but
donations to support next year’s
show will be accepted. Those
who enjoy the display from afar
and would like to contribute
can mail in their donations to
the Active 20/30 Club, P.O. Box
365, Eugene, OR 97440.
•For auto-racing buffs there’s
the “Outlaw” open competition
at the Emerald Speedway. Gates
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