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The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, January 29,1997
News/Editorial
NEWS BRIEFS
Letter to
Editor:
ChanneLight performs
at art museum
Readerfavors
legalizing pot
The article “Health care go
ing to pot” Jan. 15, was con
cerned that legalizing mari
juana for medicinal purposes
for a few in pain would endan
ger the many that would use it
illegally for recreation.
I fail to see the logic of
withholding one proven me
dicinal herb from sick and dy
ing patients because some
choose to abuse it. Following
that logic, are we to withdraw
nitrous oxicfe (laughing gas)
from dental patients, cortisone (some do abuse steroids) treatment for sports injuries, or
various drugs for mental disorders?
Doctors and pharmacist are so regulated that I don’t see how prescribing marijuana is
going to benefit the criminal element that traffics in it. Being a controlled substance would
make it nearly impossible to get without a prescription.
As far as legalizing it for medicinal uses making it look attractive to kids? Ah, come on,
what’s attractive about taking your grandma’s medicine?
Esther Esson
Unworried mother of three kids
(Editor’s Note: Unless letters to the editor are signed, they will not be considered for publication.)
HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention focus
at Clackamas County task force meeting
Karin Redston
Co-Feature Editor
The Clackamas County HIV
Prevention Planning Task Force
held its first 1997 planning meet
ing Jan. 17 at the college’s Fam
ily Resource Center.
The orientation meeting for
new and returning members
focused on HIV-prevention
education in Clackamas County.
A plan will be submitted to the
state for approval and imple
mented on approval.
The 1996-97 mission state
ment of thie task force reads:
“The mission of the Clackamas
County HIV Prevention Planning
Task Force is to decrease the
number of HIV infections and to
increase the level of awareness
of HIV/AIDS in Clackamas
County through established and
innovative approaches to as
sessment, planning, education,
services and evaluation. Our
emphasis will include develop
ment of cost effective prevention
services and of knowledgeable
local leadership.”
As of Dec. 18, 1996, a total
of 169 cases of AIDS were re
corded in Clackamas County. Of
these, 156 were in white males.
However, the direction of the dis
ease is changing.
According to an article in the
Dec. 2, 1996 issue of Newsweek
written by John Leland, the virus
is now epidemic among the poor
and the minority populations na
tionally. The fastest growing
population is African-Americans.
In Oregon, although the high
est group with HIV infection is
still Caucasian homosexual males,
a steady rise of HIV infection has
been noted in women and children
for the last six years.
“There is a lot more education
that needs to be done,” said Lee
Burleson, Co-chairperson of the
Clackamas County HIV Preven
tion Task Force. “People out here
think HIV is a big city problem.
Most of the people I have dealt
with don’t live in the suburbs, they
live in smaller towns away from
Portland. That is true all over the
state.”
According to Dixie Whetsell,
Co-chairperson of the Clackamas
/---------------------
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LANEY FOUSE, Editor-in-Chief (ext. 2576)
BRAD ZIMMERMAN, Managing Editor (ext. 2576)
MAIRIN-ANNE MOORE, News Editor (ext. 2309)
KARIN REDSTON, Co-Feature Editor (ext. 2578)
CHRISTINA MUELLER, Co-Feature Editor (ext. 2309)
JON ROBERTS, A &E Editor (ext. 2309)
BRENDON NEAL, Sports Editor (ext. 2578)
JOHN THORBURN, Assistant Sports Editor (ext. 2578)
CINDY HINES KURFMAN, Copy Editor (ext. 2309)
JOEL CORESON, Photo Editor (ext. 2578)
ERIN BENNETT, Business Manager (ext. 2578)
BRANDY GEHRKE, Cartoonist (ext. 2309)
Staff Writers/Photographers/Production: Andrew
Beck, Maggie Bragg, Kim Harney, Joel Shempert
County HIV Prevention Planning
Task Force, 20 percent of all
people infected with HIV were in
fected as teenagers. Whetsell
also pointed out that 45 percent
of all AIDS cases were over the
age of 30.
“Clackamas County is unusual
in that the men that have been
diagnosed with AIDS in our
county are older,” noted Whetsell.
“That’s been fairly consistent in
our county since the beginning.”
Implementations of the 1996
plan included needle exchanges
for intravenous drug users, con
dom distribution, “Love and Play
Safe” coasters in bars, brochures,
posters, resource cards, and
community educational outreach
and presentations.
On campus, current services
include condom dispensing ma
chines in the bathrooms of the Com
munity Center. Clackamas’s policy
on HIV and AIDS maintains no tol
erance for discrimination against
anyone who is HIV infected.
The Clackamas County HIV
Prevention Task Force will meet
again Jan. 30.
Bill Briare and his eclec
tic folk group ChanneLight
will appear at the Oregon City
Art Museum on 606 John
Adams Street in Oregon City
at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1.
The group will play a wide
assortment of instruments
and feature songs with roots
in many styles of world mu
sic.
Special guests include Jan
Anderson and Loren Ford of
No Strings Attached. This is
a free show for all ages. For
information call ext. 2457.
Do you suffer from
math anxiety?
The Focus on Women
program is offering a free
lunch and learn session, “Get
ting Past Math Anxiety,” on
Feb. 4.
An exploration of your
feelings about math and what
you can do to decrease the
negative feelings will be held
from 12:30 tol:30 p.m. in the
Gregory Forum.
Register for WKS 1-03.
You may call ext. 2310 for more
information..
Women’s group to
hold book discussion
Join other women to share
a common-read book and dis
cuss what each participant is
reading and recommends.
Bring your lunch to the
discussion from noon to 1
p.m., in Barlow 108, on Feb.
5.
Register now for WKS 1-
02. For more information on
the free session call ext. 2268.
Horticulture therapist
to speak on gardening
Join Teresia Hazen, a hor^
ticulture therapist for Legacy
Health System, at an Aging Is
sues Forum from 10 a.m. to
noon in CC127 on Tuesday,
Feb. 4. She will speak about
using gardening and horticul
ture activities to promote
awareness
of
seasonal
changes, problem solving,
conversation and reminiscing
awareness
The session is free and
open to the public. For more
information, call ext. 2456.
The Clackamas Print
19600 S. Molalla Ave.,
Oregon City, OR 97045
(503) 657-6958 ext. 2309
cccprint @ clackamas.cc.or.us
Linda Vogt, Advisor (ext 2310)
JoAnne Gale, Secretary (ext 2309)
Tax course offered
With taxes just around the
corner, now is the perfect time
to brush up on preparing
those tax returns. Learn the
basics of preparing a simple
income tax return at a free
information session from 6 to
8:30 p.m., Jan. 30, at the
college’s Family Resource
Center.
The overview includes
what is needed to complete a
short federal and state return.
The class will also dis
cuss the earned income credit
and the child care credit, who
qualifies and how such items
are computed.
For those interested reg
ister for WKS 5-01 or call ext.
2268 for more information.
Discussion centers
on current events
Join the college’s Seasoned
Adult Enrichment Program to
day and discuss the “Current
State of the Church.” The
morning session, “The Church
at the End of the 20th Century,”
will be presented by Susan
Russell.
The second of the three-
part series on current events
will be held in the afternoon
session. Joanne Baker will
host a discussion of current
topics presented by partici
pants. Bring articles and clip
pings.
The sessions are from 9:30
to 11 a.m. and noon to 2:30 p.m.
at the Harmony Center, 7616 SE
Harmony Road, Milwaukie.
Cost for one or both sessions
is $4. For more information,
call ext. 3230.
Taking a look at
Oregon’s history
What’s next for Oregon? Join
the Seasoned Adult Enrichment
Program and discuss Oregon’s
developing history at the Feb. 5
morning session.
The afternoon session con
cludes the three-part series etv
titled, “Current Events.” Joanne
Baker will host a discussion of cur
rent topics presented by partici
pants. Bring articles and clippings.
Sessions run from 9:30 to 11
a.m. and noon to 2:30 p.m. at the
Harmony Center, and cost is $4.
For more information, call ext.
3230.
The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in
an honest, unbiased, professional manner. The
opinions expressed in The Clackamas Print do
not necessarily reflect those of the student body,
college administration, its faculty or The Clacka
mas Przni advertisers. Products and services ad
vertised in The Clackamas Print are not neces
sarily endorsed by anyone associated with The
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per column inch. All signed letters to the Editor
will be considered for publication and must be
submitted by 1 p.m. the Friday prior to publica
tion. The Clackamas Print is a weekly publica
tion and is distributed every Wednesday except
during finals week.