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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ryan Frank
EDITORIAL EDITOR
Kameron Cole
Stefanie Knowlton
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Despite election results, it may be
awhile before medical the mari
juana initiative takes effect.
free the weed.
This is the attitude that many of
the opponents of Measure 67, as well
as some of its supporters, have about
what medical marijuana laws are all
about. If you think that sounds stu
pid, you’re right.
The passage of this law does not
allow for indiscriminate dispensa
tion of pot. There will not be doctors
standing on rooftops throughout the
state tossing down dime bags and
hemp seeds to the populace. Neither
will “Dude, it’s a prescription” keep
you from getting busted.
Whether you were for it or against
it, if you’re looking at Measure 67 as
the first step on the path to legaliza
tion, you might want to consult a
map.
it’s time for Oregoni
ans to kick back and
ell, it’s official. Mea
sure 67 has passed and
Pot, or not
The wording of Measure 67, and of
similar initiatives throughout the
country, was extremely specific. To
be exempt from criminal drug
charges, those partaking in marijua
na use must be diagnosed with one
of five diseases—AIDS, cancer, glau
coma, multiple sclerosis or epilepsy.
Furthermore, Measure 67 dictated
that a permit system be instituted be
fore marijuana can be dispensed. It is
likely that hammering out the logis
tics of this inevitably complicated
system will substantially slow down
the process of putting the law into ef
fect.
And let’s not forget the most un
predictable element in this equa
tion-the federal government. This is
especially interesting because the
U.S. Government is not exactly
known for its unpredictability.
When California passed medical
marijuana initiatives in 1996, every
one from the drug czar to the presi
dent swooped down wielding the
promise of prosecution, essentially
rendering those measures moot. Up
until a week before this year’s elec
tion, similar sentiment was issuing
from Washington.
Since medicinal marijuana mea
sures passed handily in five of the
seven states in which they were pro
posed, however, the government has
softened considerably.
One of the key reasons behind this
sudden turnaround is the increasing
reluctance of doctors to prescribe, or
even recommend marijuana to their
patients.
Whatever doctors decide, the rules
of politics dictate that federal chal
lenges to medical marijuana will be
inevitable. This begs many questions,
not the least of which is why we
bother to vote in the first place if our
wishes are simply going to be ignored
or re-legislated by government.
The message here is this: voting on
an issue is not the end of the politi
cal process.
So before you start wringing your
hands over the passage of Measure
67 or get to carried away by the thrill
of victory, you should temper you re
action with the reality of politics.
Voting on an issue does not repre
sent an end to the process, it’s sim
ply a good start.
This editorial represents the opinion of
the Emerald editorial board. Responses
may be sent to ode®Oregon. uoregon.
edu.
Thumbs
THUMBS UP
To Newt Gingrich.
No matter what
you think of his
politics, his deci
sion to resign as
Speaker of the
House and leave
Congress to end
divisions within
his partyls ad
mirable.
To Mattel Toys.
For the new WNBA
Barbie doll. She fi
nally gets to wear
an outfit that’s not
hot pink or
trimmed in lace.
THUMBS DOWN
To Construction
on Coburg Road.
This endless pro
ject vexes us on
an almost daily
basis, and makes
uswanttokillon
game days.
To Christmas in
November.
it's two weeks be
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LOTS OF MEMORY USED
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Windowsill
NO MEMORY USED