Appeal Tribune Wednesday, December 27, 2017 3A
Wyden cosponsors bill to legalize marijuana
The bill would help Americans con-
victed of marijuana-related crimes ret-
roactively expunge those offences from
their records.
In addition, it would create a "Commu-
nity Reinvestment Fund" for communi-
ties hit hardest by the war on drugs.
Communities would get federal money
for efforts such as job training pro-
grams, pubic libraries, community cen-
ters and health education programs.
The bill proposes spending at least
$500 million every fiscal year from 2018
to 2040 on the reinvestment programs.
Sitting beside Wyden for a Facebook
Live video Dec. 18 to announce the spon-
sorship, Booker said having the Oregon
Democrat aboard added "a stamp of
gravitas."
"We've got to get out of the war on
drugs, which is really a war on people, a
war on poor people, a war on a dispropor-
tionate (number) of minorities, a war on
(the) mentally ill," Booker said.
Wyden said people of color around the
U.S. are convicted for marijuana crimes
that millions of other Americans also
commit without facing the same conse-
quences. "It's just wrong, wrong, wrong."
Odds of the bill's success, however,
are low. Jim Moore, director of the Tom
McCall Center for Policy Innovation at
Pacific University, said, "I don't think it's
chances are very good."
It's not just because Congress is con-
trolled by Republicans right now, he
said, but because a number of Demo-
crats also oppose this kind of legislation.
But it does create "a national conver-
sation," Moore said.
With many looking ahead to the 2020
presidential election, marijuana policy
is poised to become a major talking point
among candidates, he said.
"It could end up becoming a very in-
teresting political plank," Moore said.
Wyden's announcement Monday
comes as U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-
Oregon, is rushing to save federal pro-
tections for medical marijuana users as
part of a congressional spending pack-
age needed to avoid a government shut-
down. The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer
Amendment basically stops the Justice
Department from prosecuting medical
marijuana users in states where voters
have approved such use.
Federal lawmakers originally passed
a version of the amendment in 2014, but
they’ve had to re-approve it every time
the Justice Department’s spending
guidelines go before Congress.
The amendment hit turbulence earli-
er this year when the House Rules Com-
mittee blocked a vote on it. The Senate
Appropriations Committee, however,
approved a version of the amendment.
"Ultimately, Congress must act to put
an end to the cycle of uncertainty and
permanently protect state medical mari-
juana programs — and adult use — from
federal interference," Blumenauer said
earlier this month. "The American peo-
ple have spoken. It’s past time that Con-
gress catch up."
Blumenauer has also launched a polit-
ical-action committee, called the Canna-
bis Fund, to unseat anti-marijuana law-
makers. The committee has garnered at
least $2,000, according to the Federal
Election Commission.
Reach staff reporter Jonathan Bach
by email at jbach@statesmanjour-
nal.com or by phone at 503-399-6714. Fol-
low him on Twitter @JonathanMBach
and Facebook at www.facebook.com/
jonathanbachjournalist/.
“When Jacque and I connected, she
was clear that she wanted her (BB) to go
to a show home. I was very frank and told
her that I had never shown a dog in my
life,” Kiotis recalled.
“She said that we could always do
field activities with her, which seemed
more attainable to me. When BB won
‘Best Puppy’ at the Rose City Classic in
2017, my family and I decided we would
give it our best shot to show her.”
Kiotis found Good who agreed to take
on BB. The match was a perfect show fit.
“The rest is now history,” Kiotis said.
She salutes Keller-McCormick's
breeding prowess as instrumental to Mt.
Angel BB’s plaudits, a list that includes a
champion title at 11 months, a grand
champion one at 14 months. At the Na-
tional Dog Show in Philadelphia this
year, she received 15 of the 25 points
needed in one weekend.
American Kennel Club notes that a
dog must acquire 25 points with three
major wins in order to earn a “Grand
Champion” title.
“BB loves the ring, being quite the
ham,” Kiotis said. “I think she has a nice
balance being a normal pet at home with
her canine siblings (smooth dachshund,
German shorthaired pointer and bluet-
ick coonhound) and traveling with her
handler to the shows.”
Keller-McCormick's jested that BB is
making history while putting Mt. Angel
on the map. Kiotis acknowledged that
her canine companion’s name does elicit
questions at the shows.
“Many people ask where she got her
name; I am sure if we were on the west
coast people would be more familiar
with the location, but I didn't know where
(Mt. Angel) was either until BB,” Kiotis
said.
“When I tell people the origins of her
name and how she was born during the
wiener races, they always ask ‘Why did
you go all the way to Oregon to get a
dog?’”
Kiotis' answer is short and sweet:
fate. What else could it be?
“You just have to believe that,” Kiotis
said.
“(When) a breeder who could have
sold her to anyone would pick someone
like me who had no experience at all in
the world of (dog shows). And then we
land one of the top professional handlers
on the east coast who shows your dog,
who (in turn) achieves so much success
and notoriety at a young age -- what are
the chances?”
Perhaps even more important than
the ribbons is the bit of warmth Mt. An-
gel took back east.
“She is such a clown. She has even
made the judges laugh,” Kiotis said.
“Even if you are having the worst day
she will make you smile. BB is smart and
learns very quickly. She is also a natural
born hunter, chasing chipmunks and
squirrels and the other day she brought
me a field mouse!”
She also chased away some heart-
break along with way.
jmuch@StatesmanJournal.com
or
cell 503-508-8157 or follow at twitter.com/
justinmuch
JONATHAN BACH
SALEM STATESMAN JOURNAL
USA TODAY NETWORK
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, is co-
sponsoring a bill to decriminalize mari-
juana across the nation and penalize
states with high arrest and incarceration
rates for pot-related crimes.
The Marijuana Justice Act of 2017,
first introduced in August by Sen. Cory
Booker, D-New Jersey, would remove
weed from the federal list of controlled
substances.
The bill also would penalize states
that haven't legalized marijuana and
have "disproportionate" rates of arrest
and incarceration for marijuana-related
offenses by cutting federal funding in
those states for new jails, prisons and
staffing.
For the bill's purposes, disproportion-
ate rates of arrest and incarceration are
defined as:
u"The percentage of minority indi-
viduals arrested for a marijuana related
offense in a state is higher than the per-
centage of the non-minority individual
population of the state, as determined by
the most recent census data"
u"The percentage of low-income in-
dividuals arrested for a marijuana of-
fense in a state is higher than the per-
centage of the population of the state
that are not low-income individuals, as
determined by the most recent census
data"
u"The percentage of minority indi-
viduals incarcerated for a marijuana re-
lated offense in a state is higher than the
percentage of the non-minority individ-
ual population of the state, as deter-
mined by the most recent census data"
Pup
Continued from Page 2A
Kiotis. Additionally, she’s a show-dog
phenomenon under the tutelage of pro-
fessional dog-handler Margery Good.
Making efficient use of the interstate-
highway system, there is roughly 2,885
miles between Mt. Angel and Thornton, a
Philadelphia suburb, which begs the
question: how did this connection come
about?
“I lost my wirehaired dachshund, Ted-
dy, over Christmas last year,” Kiotis re-
lated. “Brokenhearted, I went to the
AKC website to look for breeders. At the
time there were three -- Oregon, Penn-
sylvania and Georgia. Jacque was the
first one to call me back. We hit it off im-
mediately.”
Keller-McCormick had the perfect
solution for Kiotis' broken heart, but
there were conditions involved.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden has announced that he will cosponsor the Marijuana Justice Act of 2017.
The bill was first introduced in August by Sen. Cory Booker. MOLLY J. SMITH/STATESMAN JOURNAL
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