LET TERS
REMEMBERING EVE
Bayard’s work for the UO in oceanography,
and I still wonder if that influenced
We have lost a smart and witty
my student to attend the next
lady! Eve McConnaughey
year.
always kept us enjoying
life with her sharp and
Last
Thursday
funny
comments,
night was the Eugene
her important and
Symphony
and
detailed testimony
I missed seeing
at city, county or
her. Her love of
state
hearings,
classical music had
and with her large
her attending many
circle of Eugene
musical events at
friends. She was a
the Hult and Beall
true environmental and
auditoriums. She also
social activist along with
enjoyed
years of singing in
E V E MCCONN AUGHE Y
her husband, Bayard.
the Unitarian Choir and was the
Our community owes them a great
church’s longest continuing member.
deal as she served on boards and participated
We will miss our smiling friend.
with the Natural History Society, Audubon,
Ruth Duemler
Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition and
Eugene
CALC. Some of us had the pleasure of
accompanying them to the one mile of coast
FOLLOW THE MONEY
just south of Yachats that they watched
It’s been very confusing to watch the
and protected for the Coastal Coalition.
incoordinate motion about Eugene City
They would make observations of sea-
Hall, but I think I’ve figured it out. There
life, measure the changing river patterns
was a “design team” at work, and where
and check for any sewerage outfall and
there’s a design team there’s money to be
dumping of trash.
made. This group was convened without
direction from elected officials, without
Evelyn and Bayard wrote the classic
budget and without goals. Do you really
book Pacific Coast, and then she produced
think they would search for the most
her specialty book Sea Vegetables. I’ll never
economical solution without budget
forget when my new UO student roomer
constraints? Do you think they would look
came to the kitchen with a tattered book and
for a small-footprint, minimally invasive
I asked if he would like to meet the author.
solution without direction? Not while
I called and we had an invitation for dinner.
there’s money to be made!
Not only did we enjoy seaweed among
The whole project is out of control. No
the vegetables but we learned more about
VIEWPOINT
voter approval, no budget (we’ll find the
money somewhere), no list of what needs
to be included. I really hope we get some
better answers soon.
William (Chico) Schwall
Eugene
GRATEFUL FOR EUGENE
I’ve lived in this delightful town for
nearly a decade and enjoy perusing your
periodical. This summer I spent a month
in my home state of Ohio, and oooh-boy
does absence make the heart grow fonder.
Granted, there is room for improvement in
Eugene, but there is much for which to be
grateful. What follows is a list of things not
readily available in towns of this size in the
Midwest that some readers may be taking
for granted:
• Recycling as a way of life — in
restaurants, public spaces and private
homes — everyone recycles (there may be
a few holdouts, but I’ve yet to find one).
• Vegetarian and vegan options are
readily available at the majority of
restaurants — local salads noticeably
bereft of iceberg lettuce.
• Several farmers markets to choose
from — also bereft of loathsome iceberg.
• Organic produce can be found in
markets of all types, not just remote,
specialty grocers.
• Bars, taverns and breweries with a
staggering selection of craft beers.
• Extensive bike paths/lanes and drivers
who are comparatively conscious of
cyclists.
A QUEER VENUE COMING
In response to Dani Davis [Letters,
10/9]: The feeling is mutual. Being from
Minneapolis, the Gay ’90s and the Saloon are
just two of the many LGBT establishments
we could go to. Moving here was a culture
shock for me! Not one place where we could
go and feel at home. But there is hope.
My colleague Andrew Clark and I are
working on opening an all-inclusive queer
establishment in Eugene. We would provide
a restaurant, bar and nightclub inside an
over-arching community center. We look
to offer spaces for groups to rent out and to
be a much-needed source of work for those
in our community who have barriers to
employment.
What we need from our community is
BY MITCH MONSOUR
We Can Do Better
THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST MEASURE 91
I
n 2012 residents of Colorado and Washington
bypassed their state legislatures and voted to
legalize cannabis for recreational use, taking
the first steps towards ending 77 years of
prohibition. This one act changed the entire
political landscape. For the first time a majority of
Americans support legalization, and many states are
already discussing change at the policy level. Measure
91, however, undercuts two of the central goals of
legalization: eliminating the black market, and reducing
the role of law enforcement in drug policy. As a result,
even if it passes Measure 91 is bound to fail.
One of the primary reasons is the way business
licenses would be granted. M91 gives the Oregon
Liquor Control Commission complete control over
cannabis regulation, including the sole authority to issue
licenses for cultivation and sales. Furthermore, it allows
the OLCC to deny a license to anyone with a marijuana
conviction in the past five years, or two convictions
total, which includes a large number of people currently
operating in the black market.
People are unlikely to stop working in the
underground economy unless they’re offered similar
opportunities in the legal one — the creation of much
touted “green” jobs will be mostly low-paying service
sector work, hardly a replacement for the higher income
people currently enjoy as a grower or seller on the
black market. And if decades of failed drug policy has
4
• Spencer Butte, Ridgeline, Pisgah and
Hendricks — just a few lovely hiking spots
available here in town, to say nothing of
majestic landscapes in the surrounding
areas.
• Good coffee — ubiquitous providers
of said good coffee (I am not referring to
a certain monolithic cafe — they peddle
their over-roasted beans everywhere —
shudder).
• A free, local alternative newspaper
(god love ya!).
Just some things to consider the next
time one hears/utters complaints of a
canceled art class, a carnivore or a train
whistle (oh, forevermore!).
Elizabeth O’Harra
Eugene
October 23, 2014 • eugeneweekly.com
demonstrated anything, it’s that the black market cannot
be stopped by law enforcement.
There is also enough ambiguity in the wording of
Measure 91 that the OLCC could technically deny anyone
a license. Specifically, it would allow the OLCC to deny
a license to any person they consider “not of good repute
and moral character” or “in the habit of using alcoholic
beverages, habit-forming drugs, marijuana or controlled
substances to excess.” Determining whether or not a
person is of good moral character or has a substance
abuse problem is a highly subjective process that should
not be left to five people, in particular five people with
no democratic accountability.
Despite ostensible legalization, M91 maintains
most of the criminal penalties for illegal possession,
cultivation and sales. While the measure would allow
up to four “mature” plants per household without a
license, five to eight plants would be considered a Class
B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail
and a $2,500 fine. Just one additional plant (nine in total)
changes the violation to a Class B felony, punishable by
up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Selling any
amount without a license is also a Class B felony.
For all the talk of protecting minors, the penalties
are even more severe for individuals under 21. Growing
any amount would be considered a Class B felony.
Possessing seven or more grams of homemade solid
product would also be a Class B felony — literally the
equivalent of a few brownies. In addition, the law would
allow a judge to suspend their driver’s license for up to
one year, regardless of whether or not they were driving
at the time.
Far more egregious, however, is the penalty for
giving cannabis to an individual under 18. Regardless
of the amount involved, if the person convicted is at
least three years older than the minor, he or she would
be charged with a Class A felony, punishable by up to
20 years in prison and a $375,000 fine. In other words,
an 18-year-old could spend 20 years in prison for giving
a gram of cannabis to a 15-year-old. In comparison,
the first offense for giving alcohol to a minor is only a
$350 fine, irrespective of their age. The second offense
is a $1,000 fine. Only after a third conviction does the
defendant receive jail time — a minimum of 30 days.
This isn’t public policy, it’s madness.
Legalization is inevitable at this point, but the form
it takes has yet to be determined. If we truly want to end
the black market and stop sending people to prison, we
need to take a different approach. Voters should reject
M91 and support efforts towards a better initiative. In the
interim we can pressure state and local representatives
to expand decriminalization, which would significantly
reduce the burden on the criminal justice system and
protect people from the trauma and stigmatization of
prison. It’s tempting to vote “yes” on M91 after such a
long period of prohibition, but the social and economic
gains from a sensible drug policy will be well worth the
wait. Be patient Oregon — we can do better.
Mitch Monsour is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Soci-
ology at the University of Oregon.