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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1987)
SJTlFUTONS & FRAMES m Bed and Couch Frames from $95 Futons starting at $85 This coupon Is worth $10 towards any Futon frame or combination. Offer expires March 8th. One coupon per customer 935-7348 Open by Appointment Only visa MasterCard Wivenes Available P10 gguyra • close to campus • ASE Certified Technician Approved Auto Repair REPAIR Tune-ups * Brakes * Fuel Injection 4+17 Franklin Bird. Eugene,Or. 9740) 48f*Btl6 ELECTRONIC BARGAINS! ★ Video Cameras * Lights, Cords ★ Video Recorders * Computers/Parts ★ Odd, Surplus, Misc. Components, etc. And Tektronix Oscilloscopes! Come by SATURDAY ONLY, 10am-5pm — 1628 E. 24th — up Agate. Bill would stiffen drug penalties, require dealers to obtain stamps By Nick Reed Of the Emerald Marijuana and other controll ed substances would be taxed like other products sold for pro fit under a bill just introduced into the legislature. The bill, sponsored chiefly by Rep. Gene Saylor. R-Portland, would clear the way for increas ing penalties on those caught peddling dope. The selling of dope, which Saylor terms an "underground illegal business,” should not Ik? treated preferentially while others in legal market transac tions are taxed, he said. "This is not designed to get people who possess less than an ounce." Saylor said. "This is basically to provide law en forcement agencies with another way to prosecute dealers." If such legislation is passed, the state would begin requiring drug dealers to buy stamps for supplies of marijuana, cocaine and other illegal drugs in the same manner as cigarette manufacturers and liquor distillers are required to place stamps on their products. Drug dealers arrested would then be subject to two actions; the usual criminal proceedings for possession and sale of a con trolled substance, and an addi tional charge of felony tax eva sion if tax stamps are not on the confiscated drugs. Under current laws, posses sion of more than one-and-one half ounces of marijuana is a felony, and a person who is caught with that amount is con sidered a dealer. Section one, line seven of the new bill states a dealer is “a person who. in violation of ORS 475.991 to 475.995, manufac tures, delivers or possesses, more than 42 grams of mari juana. or seven or more grams of any controlled substance, or 10 or more dosage units of any con trolled substance which is not sold by weight.” ”if dealers are successfully prosecuted, property could be confiscated, liens placed on them and they could be fined,” Saylor said. Saylor added if the bill passes, it will discourage con sumption by making the cost of drugs more expensive and con sequently less available. Not everyone thinks the new bill is a good or effective idea. The idea of taxing drugs is a waste of time, said Bill Conde. a Harrisburg businessman and longtime activist for the legalization of marijuana. "They’re being clowns." Conde said. "It’s a joke. What can it accomplish? Do they ac tually think that people who sell dope are going to come in to the state and sign up?" Conde. who was a major force in gathering 85.000 signatures on the recent marijuana in itative, scoffed at the section in the new bill that states all infor mation turned into the Depart ment of Revenue will remain completely confidential. He claimed the names of the citizens who signed the mari juana initiative petition ended up on the desk of the state at torney general. "It's ridiculous. They’re not being serious." Conde said. The recent drug laws are not actually designed to keep drugs from entering the country, but are really just an "open door” for law enforcement officials to spy on individual citizens, Con de said. Most tenant protections to remain intact By Scott Maben Of the Emerald The Eugene City Council is likely to keep the bulk of tenant protections currently guaranteed in Eugene's con dominium conversion or dinance, although some modifications may be made. This decision came after the council met Wednesday to weigh the Planning Commis sions’s proposed revisions to =UOBookstore— CASH FOR BOOKS COURSE BOOKS BUY BACK EVERYDAY IN THE BOOK DEPT. LOBBY Last day to purchase Winter Term Texts is Mon. Feb. 23rd Please make any final purchase prior to this date. V. Your store since 1920 J 13th & Kincaid M-F 7:30-5:30 SAT 10:00 4:00 686 4331 the ordinance with testimony given at a public hearing February 9 that favored the pre sent tenant protections. “It appears there’s a consen sus on the council that the or dinance that has been enforced is on track with the needs of the community,” said Mayor Brian Obie who officiated the session. The council may amend the ordinance with moderate redefinit ions of “special category" (low-income, elderly, disabled) tenants. The current ordinance re quires developers who wish to convert to provide special category tenants with moving expenses, services of a housing counselor, comparable housing, or a lifetime lease if comparable housing is unattainable. Various councilors said they were concerned with the broadness of these benefits. For example, college students who qualify for a moving allowance because of their low income may pocket the money and The Thinking Man’s Frisbee ^^BOOMERANGS 344-KITE KITES £ OTHER DELIGHTS With this coupon you can buy a set of GUITAR STRINGS for 1/2 PRICE coupon good thru Ktbruiin 28. 1987 “NS# 380 East 40th, Eugene open evenings 'till 6 Locally owned for 30 years move with the help of a friend, said Councilor Kmily Schue. “I’m going to favor amending it somewhat so we can get the kind of protection to the people who need it and not give protec tion to people who financially don’t. We don’t want to sub sidize wealthy folks," said Councilor Jeff Miller. The ordinance specifically benefits tenants 62 years old or older, whose income is at 80 percent or less of the area’s me dian income, or who are handicapped. The Planning Commission proposes to offer only half of the current special category benefits — moving expenses and housing counselor services — to tenants who make 50 per cent of the median; who are age 70 or older and substantially disabled; or earn 80 percent of the median and are substantial ly disabled. The commission recommend ed comparable housing and lifetime lease be deleted, but the city council decided not to tamper with those provisions. Also at issue Wednesday was who should finance tenant provisions. Councilor Rob Bennett, who owns the high-rise apartment complex Eugene Manor, said he thinks the community should pay the cost of relocating tenants who can't afford con dos. In the case of a conversion the developer “is going to pass all the costs he can...to the ultimate purchaser of the unit,” Bennett said. “What we’re doing is transferring the social cost that should be borne by everybody in the community as a whole to the eventual purchaser of the condominium, who may be some middle-income folks who happen to want to own a con dominium,” Bennett told the council. He added by saying he believes this kind of pressure on the developer “is not right.” A developer can make a Turn to Condos, Page 6
