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street roots
June 20, 2014
The American public has turned a comer'
Congressman Earl Blumenauer talks about the marijuana revolution, gay rights and, of course, money
BY JAKE THOMAS
S TAFF W R IT E R
widespread belief. I think the practical
matter is that the homeless population
appears to be from somewhere else because
it’s hard for people to focus on i t It’s
invisible. They see it, but they don’t see who
the people are. My sense is that, yes, there
are people that are transient people who
shift around slightly given the weather or
baseball season or whatever.
It is hard for people to understand that
these are our vets, that these are our urban
Native Americans, that there are kids that
are messed up or alienated or abused. I’m
not persuaded that this is a huge mobile
population. They are less mobile than the
general population.
ongressman Earl Blumenauer has the
veneer of a seasoned Beltway
politician, trademark bowtie aside.
But to his core/ he’s a true Portlander.
Much has been written about his
enthusiasm and support of cycling, mass
transit and civic engagement But on a
deeper level, this is the man in Washington
fighting for, among other issues, legalized
marijuana, gay rights, environmental
protections, ending government-sanctioned
torture, preventing climate change, closing
the prison at Guantanamo Bay, and
restoring personal privacy against the
government surveillance.
More than four decades ago, Blumenauer
S.R.: There was that vote the House took
was a fresh face in Oregon’s Legislature,
pretty recently that basically told the federal
serving the first of three terms there. He
government not to interfere with medical
turned to local politics in 1978, serving
marijuana laws.
eight years on the Multnomah County
Commission followed by 10 years on the
E.B.: Actually, there were three votes in
Portland City Council in charge of public
the evening of May 28 that had bipartisan
works. He jumped into the national scene in majority support to restricting the federal .
1996 when he was elected to his first of now government from interfering with the
eight terms in Congress. He currently sits
cultivation of industrial hemp, and one that
on two of the most influential bodies in
would withhold funds from the federal
Congress: The House Budget and Ways and
government to interfere with medical
Means committees.
marijuana laws that states have approved.
Earlier this month, the congressman was
It’s a culmination of what wé’ve seen over
in Portland to receive the Urban Pioneer
the last couple years.
award from Portland State University, in
Prior to this the marijuana legislation,
recognition for his contributions to the
efforts had been lead by former
political, social and physical landscape of the representatives Barney Frank
Portland region.
(D-Massaehusetts) and Ron Paul (R-Texas),
While in town, Blumenauer stopped by
both of whom have moved on to other
the Street Roots office. He spoke frankly
things, but I indicated to Barney several
about the financial trials ahead for the
years ago that I would step up and help
federal government, his campaign for
coordinate a little b it
marijuana laws and a little background on
The votes last week were the culmination
the transportation woes Portland is
■ of people starting to realize that the
grappling with today.
marijuana train has left the station. It’s not >
just the two states that have legalized it for
Street Roots: There is, a theory that
adult use in Colorado and Washington, but
everybody’s homeless population shows up
it’s 22 states and the District of Columbia
from somewhere else. They’re not ours, get
that have medical marijuana. It’s a million
them out of here. What do you think about
people who are authorized to use medical
that?
marijuana, as well as thè research about the
potential impacts it can have and there are
E arl Blum enauer: I think that it is a
B
hundreds of perfectly legalbusinesses
involved. They are becoming more
aggressive making their case on Capitol Hill,
and the American public has turned the
corner.
S.R.: This was really bipartisan. How did
the House come together on this, but on so
many other issues it struggles? |
E.B.: Street Roots is dedicated to making
some significant but incremental steps in
helping people get their act together. You
are able to combine resources to support
the publication, and part of it is self-
perpetuating. That’s my theory of
legislation. Yeah, you can try for grand slam
home run, but before you bit a grand slam
home run, you have to hit singles and
doubles — you have to get someone onbase.
Virtually all the legislation we have is
bipartisan in nature. The infamous “death
panels?” We had 50 bipartisan co-sponsors
on that. Marijuana is important on several
levels. We have a policy on marijuana that
simply makes no sense. Prohibition has
failed miserably. Nobody thinks that their
eighth-grade daughter has a rougher time
getting a joint than a six-pack of beer.
Nobody checks your driver’s license ifyou
buy a joint. The failure of prohibition is
becoming clearer and clearer. We now have
public opinion surveys that think it ought to
be legal. The disconnect between arresting
two-thirds of three-quarters of a million ,
people a year for something 58 percent
think should be legal. It’s starting to catch
up and catch on.
People are starting to put these pieces
together, and hemp, ironically, is playing a
very important role. Virtually everyone has
some hemp product; There is hemp ice
cream. Drafts of the Declaration of
Independence were written on hemp paper.
We had a hemp flag fly over the Capitol last
year, and the head of the Drug Enforcement
Agency indicated that was the low point of
her professional career. [Slaps table.] Where
have you been, woman, and what have you !
been doing if this is the low point of your
career?
We’ve got 20 states that have either
explicitly authorized hemp cultivation or
they are taking steps to promote it, Oregon
being one of them.
It’s'fascinating that it’s one of those
moments in history th&t’s ripe, and Oregon,
this year,'is poised to be the turning point
nationally. We’ve got these two states,
Colorado and. Washington, which have done
it. Everything’s going to be trained on
Oregon. People think that if they can beat it
in Oregon they can beat it anywhere. If it
wouldn’t pass in, Oregon, where would it
pass? If it passes, the wave will crest. We’re
a cheap state to campaign in; so there will
be energy and attention. If it passes here,
California is a foregone conclusion, as is
Maine.
We’ve been arguing all along and to
reschedule marijuana. It’s a Class I
Substance, among LSD and heroin, and
more dangerous than cocaine and meth.
S.R.: Afri/z?
E.B.: That’s according to the schedule.
And a class that can have no medicinal
qualities, except people have been
medicating with marijuana for millennium
and millions of people are doing it with a
vote of the people.
S.R.: So what’s the next step for all the
people behind bars?'
E.B.: Well, there are efforts. The
administration is finally moving to deal with
the potential of commuting sentences.
States are figuring it out. They’re filling
their prisons! They can’t afford it, and it’s
not working.
We’re going through a sea change. We
are sending billions to Mexican drug cartels,
and it’s like A1 Capone. Prohibition made A1
Capone.
We need better research on marijuana
impacts. The DEA, with its restrictive
research, will give research grants to people
See BLUMENAUER, page 5