Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
B7
George
Floyd vigil
A vigil was held on May 25 to mark the one-
year anniversary of George Floyd’s death.
The vigil was sponsored by the Somos Uno
campaign of Gorge Ecumenical Ministries
(GEM), and was the last in a series of four
held on Tuesdays from 5-6 p.m. at the
Second and State Street Overlook Park in
Hood River.
Contributed photos
Study: Oregon police find marijuana laws difficult to enforce
Garrett Andrews
■ By EO Media
Group
A recent study that draws
heavily on Deschutes
County found an “over-
whelming consensus”
among law enforcement offi-
cers that Oregon’s marijuana
laws are poorly written and
confusing.
As a result, this percep-
tion has even led some local
officers to stop enforcing
marijuana laws altogether,
according to the February
report by Portland State
University researchers Kris
Henning and Greg Stewart.
“The laws are too convo-
luted to comprehend,” one
officer wrote in a survey
response. “If we as law
enforcement can’t easily de-
cipher the laws, how can we
expect the citizens to be able
to understand them?”
Wrote another, “I have
just started treating weed as
if it is legal regardless of the
amount.”
For their report, titled
“Dazed and Confused:
Police Experiences Enforcing
Oregon’s New Marijuana
Laws,” Henning and Stewart
surveyed 301 police officers
in the second half of 2020.
Participants included
officers and deputies from
four agencies: Bend Police
Department, Redmond
Police Department, the
Deschutes County Sheriff’s
Office and the Klamath
County Sheriff’s Office.
Among the results:
• More than 90 percent of
participants felt that the il-
legal shipment of marijuana
out of state had increased in
the past three years.
• More than 90 percent
believe instances of driv-
ing under the influence of
marijuana had increased for
adults and juveniles.
• More than 60 percent of
respondents felt Oregon’s
marijuana laws make it diffi-
cult to determine if someone
has broken the law.
In 2014, Oregon voters
approved Measure 91,
legalizing recreational use of
marijuana for people 21 and
older. What followed were
a number of major changes
to Oregon law in a short
period of time. This included
the Oregon Liquor Control
Commission tightening its
licensing guidelines in 2018.
The next year, the Legislature
afforded the agency more
authority to restrict marijua-
na production licenses.
Today, there are six areas
where marijuana offenses
are still charged, though the
offending amounts differ
from those prior to 2014:
Driving while impaired, the
illegal use or possession of
marijuana and the illegal
growing, processing or dis-
tribution of marijuana.
In response to open-end-
ed questions in the PSU
study, three of four officers
mentioned confusion in
understanding the laws.
Many officers expressed a
feeling they’d been inten-
tionally written to be vague
so officers would eventually
give up on enforcement.
Officers surveyed spoke
to confusion about en-
forcement of medical vs.
recreational cannabis
laws. They also discussed
a difficulty determining
if a person possessed an
illegal amount of a drug,
or in determining if it was
purchased from a licensed
retailer. Many officers noted
a breakdown in cooperation
with state agencies that
regulate cannabis, nota-
bly the OLCC, the Oregon
Health Administration and
the Oregon Department of
Agriculture.
This lack of clear under-
standing often manifests in
roadside contacts between
officers and members of
the public, according to the
study. Officers said it can
be difficult determining the
authenticity of documenta-
tion showing a person is in
lawful possession of large
amounts of marijuana. They
also reported a near-impos-
sibility in determining if a
driver with large amounts is
heading out of state.
“Offenders often claim the
product is hemp rather than
marijuana which also makes
it difficult to determine what
the product is,” one officer
wrote.
Many officers also report-
ed declining to make mari-
juana arrests because they
feel district attorneys will not
prosecute the cases.
“It seems pointless to care
about it when, in (redacted)
county, even if someone has
several hundred pounds,
there will be no prosecu-
tion,” wrote a respondent.
“I would just prefer that it is
legalized and then it is not
an issue.”
The Dalles High School announces scholarships
Ariana Asevedo — Harris
& Anna K. Stout Memorial
Scholarship; The Dalles
High School Student First
Generation Scholarship;
Carter Family Orchards
Scholarship and Randy Rood
Memorial Scholarship.
Jackson Aguilera —
Multiple Mental Models.
Hanani Andrade —
Bill Martin Memorial
Scholarship; John V.
Peterson Memorial
Scholarship and Randy Rood
Memorial Scholarship.
Taylor Beeks —
Jeffrey Staver Memorial
Scholarship; Cascade
Singers; Outstanding Drama
Scholarship.
Hannah Biehn — The
Dalles Lions Club Memorial
Scholarship; The von
Borstel Scholarship and
Keith Tucker Memorial
Scholarship.
Nicholas Caracciolo —
The von Borstel Scholarship
and Renaissance
Scholarship.
Elena Cardosi —
Kevin Mullen Memorial
Scholarship; Lillie &
Dorothy Tindall Memorial
Scholarship.
Jaime Castro —
Vogt Family Memorial
Scholarship and Gerald
Alwin Smith Memorial
G
Scholarship.
Gavin Cates — The Dalles
School District 21 Education
Association Scholarship.
Ashley Clausen —
Outstanding Drama
Scholarship.
Spencer Coburn — The
Dalles Lions Club Memorial
Scholarship; The von Borstel
Scholarship; St. Mary’s
Academy Scholarship and
Kiwanis Club Scholarship.
Fonetia Duyck —
Lester T. Jensen Memorial
Scholarship.
Myah Ell — Colonel
Wright School PTO
Scholarship and Schanno
Family Scholarship.
Isabella Evans — Mosier
Grange No. 234 Scholarship;
Lenora Hunter Memorial
Scholarship; Marlys Krein
Memorial Scholarship;
Wasco Lodge Masonic No.
15 Scholarship and The
Dalles Rotary Club Service
Above Self Scholarship.
Alex Gonzalez — Bob
& Mary May Memorial
Scholarship.
Jayleen Hernandez
— Bill Martin Memorial
Scholarship; Ancil Payne &
Paul McCulloch Memorial
Scholarship; Jump Start
Scholarship and The von
Borstel Scholarship.
Courtney Her
— Kevin Mullen Memorial
Scholarship; Chapter BF
PEO Sisterhood Scholarship;
Lillie & Dorothy Tindal
Memorial Scholarship;
The Dalles Girl’s Softball
Assocation Scholarship;
Schanno Family Scholarship
and The Dalles Rotary
Club Service Above Self
Scholarship.
Xitlaly Ibarra Hernandez
— Cascade Eye Center
Scholarship; Lenora Hunter
Memorial Scholarship;
Randy Rood Memorial
Scholarship and Columbia
Gorge Community College
Foundation Scholarship.
Emily Johnson — Mid-
Columbia Vision Source
Scholarship and The Dalles
High School Alumni Fund
Scholarship.
Maggie Justesen — The
Dalles High School Alumni
Fund Scholarship and Lois
Kimsey Chapter EJ PEO
Scholarship.
Keon Kiser — Bill Martin
Memorial Scholarship;
Annette E. Pugh Memorial
Scholarship; Steve Martin
Memorial Scholarship;
Gerald Alwin Smith
Memorial Scholarship;
Bob Koch Scholarship;
The Dalles Rotary Griffith
Family Business Scholarship
and Randy Rood Memorial
G O R G E
L O C A L
The Mid-Columbia Directory
Scholarship.
Jesse Larson — The von
Borstel Scholarship; Bob
Murray/Dr. A.B. Stone
Memorial Scholarship and
Wasco Lodge Masonic #15
Scholarship.
Skyler Leeson — Gerald
Alwin Smith Memorial
Scholarship.
Izabella Marlinga
— Outstanding Drama
Scholarship.
Brindel Charlie
May — Bob & Mary May
Memorial Scholarship and
Keith Tucker Memorial
Scholarship.
Juan Mejia — Hyde
Family Scholarship in the
Medical Arts.
Anna Miller — Columbia
Gorge Community College
Foundation Scholarship.
Iliana Moreno Lopez
— The Dalles High School
Student First Generation
Scholarship
Icyss Morgan-Ervin
— Luvina Lash-Robinson
Memorial Scholarship.
Preet Patel — Lloyd
Heckman Memorial
Scholarship and First
Generation Scholarship.
Elijah Perkins —
Outstanding Drama
Scholarship.
Quinn Raffensperger —
The Dalles School District
21 Education Association
Scholarship.
Kjersten Richardson —
Dr. Victor Mills Family Trust
Scholarship.
Autumn Ringer —
NW Education Support
Professionals.
Yahir Santillan-
Guzman — Colleen Jenks
Memorial Scholarship; First
Generation Scholarship;
Outstanding Boy of the Year;
Edward Ward, Jr. Memorial
Scholarship and Wasco
Lodge Masonic No. 15
Scholarship.
Savannah Schell —
Cascade Eye Center
Scholarship and Dr.
Victor Mills Family Trust
Scholarship.
Shaelyn Scott — Gerald
Alwin Smith Memorial
Scholarship; Outstanding
Drama Scholarship and
Randy Rood Memorial
Scholarship.
Colin Shubert
— Columbia Gorge
Community College
Foundation Scholarship.
Spencer Taylor — The
Dalles School District 21
Education Association
Scholarship.
Maia Thomas — Lloyd
Heckman Memorial
Scholarship.
Madison Troutt — Cherry
City Crush Scholarship.
Jonathon Valdovinos —
John V. Peterson Memorial
Scholarship.
Jasmin Vejar Sapien
— The Dalles High School
Student First Generation
Scholarship and Wilma
Roberts Memorial
Scholarship.
Elizabeth Velador Garcia
— Bill Martin Memorial
Scholarship; Susanna
Blake Gabay Memorial
Scholarship; Gerald Alwin
Smith Memorial Scholarship
and Randy Rood Memorial
Scholarship.
Angelica Villegas —
Colleen Jenks Memorial
Scholarship.
MaKenna Wilcox
— Columbia Gorge
Community College
Foundation Scholarship.
Avery Winwood —
Richard Lewis Memorial
Scholarship; Outstanding
Girl of the Year and
Outstanding Drama
Scholarship.
Tressa Wood — NW
Education Support
Professionals.
Hannah Ziegenhagen
—Annette E. Pugh Memorial
Scholarship.
ADVERTISE IN THE LOCAL BUSINESS DIRECTORY
featuring Gorge businesses
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