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‘City o/
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See special section B, inside
gJÍnxtíattit (Ohsmu'r
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Volume XXXX. Number 18
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • May 5. 2010
Legalize Pot?
State effort runs counter to federal law
by J ake T homas
T he P ortland O bserver
Local activists are hoping to make history
this fall, by making Oregon one o f the first
states, along with potentially California, to
legalize marijuana for adult consumption.
But even if their efforts are successful, the
two West Coast states could find them­
selves in a protracted battle with the feds.
Pro-marijuana activists are currently gath­
ering signatures for the Oregon Cannabis
Tax Act for November’s ballot. If passed by
voters, it would set up the Oregon Cannabis
Control Commission, which would oversee a
network o f stores that sell marijuana to any­
one 21 and up, in addition licensing growers.
Madeline Martinez, the executive director
o f the Oregon chapter o f the National Orga­
nization for the Reform o f Marijuana Laws
and sponsor o f the petition, estimates that if
the initiative passed, the sale o f cannabis will
generate about $ 140 million annually for the
cash-strapped state, basing her numbers on
an economic analysis o f a similar ballot mea­
sure in California that has already qualified
for the ballot.
According to a survey conducted in 2005
by the Office ofNational Drug Control Policy,
continued
on A /6
Marijuana Work Ruling Stands
It appears that there will be no appeal to
an Oregon Supreme Court décision last
month that ruled that laws protecting dis­
abled workers don’t apply to medical mari-
juana patients, thereby allowing employ­
ers to fire employees who use the drug.
The case originated when a Eugene man
who was fired from his job as a drill press
operator after he revealed to his employer
he was taking medical marijuana fo treat a
disability. He filed a complaint with the
Bureau o f Labor and Industries, a state
agency dedicated to protecting workers
rights.
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BOLI sued, taking its case all the way up
to the Oregon Supreme Court. The court
mentioned in its opinion the conflict between
federal and state law, but ruled against the
bureau by deciding that federal laws prohib­
iting marijuana use trumped state laws.
Bard Avakian, who heads BOLI, stated
last week that he doesn’t plan on appealing
the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Dragging out the legal process would
benefit neither workers nor employers,”
said Avakian in a prepared statement, who
hopes to work with Oregon’s business
community.
Madeline Martinez, the executive director o f the Oregon chapter of the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, holds a petition for a ballot
initiative to legalize marijuana in Oregon.
Surging Enrollment at PCC
i ' l l
4 M
’J i . #
The Cascade Job Fair at Portland Community College's north
Portland campus has become an important link for a college
system that is accommodating an influx of new students
brought on by a high unemployment rate.
Portland
campuses feel
the pressure
land feeling the pressure o f the in­
flux o f students the most
Core full-time credit enrollment,
or known as FTE, at PCC gained 16.9
percent this spring term and by 9
percent in total headcount compared
Enrollment at Portland Commu­ to enrollment numbers last year at
nity College shows no sign o f slow­ this time.
ing down.
In the last two years, the college
Spring has recorded the 11th has grown by 20.5 percent in total
consecutive term o f growth for the headcount and 39 percent in FTE.
college system, with the Cascade The two-year numbers are signifi­
campus in north Portland the Rock cant because the FTE numbers de­
Creek campus in northwest Port­ termine how much money PCC gets
I
from the state’s community col­
lege funding formula, established
every Oregon biennium budget
cycle.
Total headcount for the spring
is 41,364 (an increase o f 3,413 from
spring 2009) and 8,646 in FTE (in­
crease o f 1,247 from a year ago),
according to the college’s fourth-
week winter enrollment report the
standard week for reporting en­
rollment figures).
continued
on A 16