October 24, 2012
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IN S ID E
This page
Sponsored by:
Page 3
Fred Meyer
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What's on your list today?»
F ood
pages 5, 20
‘Love for Linda’
Benefit Concert
H ealth
pages 6-7
R eligion
page 8
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PLANT
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pages 12-13
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V.
Arts
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IMIEIUSHEM
pages 15-18
C lassifieds
C alendar
pages 18
page 19
Community
comes together
as soul diva
battles cancer
An all-star cast of blues, soul
and R&B artists will come to
gether for a “Love for Linda”
benefit for Portland soul diva
Linda H ornbuckle at Jim m y
M ak’s, on Sunday, Nov. 11.
photo by M ark W ashington TT he P ortland O bserver
Hornbuckle, recently diag Soul sister Linda Hornbuckle at a 2009 performance on North
nosed with kidney cancer, has east Alberta Street. Portland's music community is coming
taken a sabbatical from work together for a benefit Nov. 11 concert to support Hornbuckle as
she takes a sabbatical from work and her band to undergo
continued y f on page 4
treatment for kidney cancer.
New Laws for Cannabis
by C ari
H achmann
Oregon voters will be asked
to legalize marijuana and indus
trial hemp with Measure 80, the
Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, in
the Nov. 6 vote-by-mail elec
tion. Washington and Colorado
have similar initiatives on the
ballot.
If passed, Measure 80 would
permit Oregon adults 21 and over
to grow and possess marijuana
without interference of the state.
Adults could sell marijuana in
state-run stores where the plant
would be taxed and regulated
under the creation of a new com
mittee, the Oregon Cannabis
Commission.
The commission would deter
mine the pricing, quality and po
tency of cannabis in adult-only
stores, where 90 percent of prof
its from sales would go to the
state general fund; 7 percent for
drug treatment programs, and 1
percent each for drug education
in public schools.
Current medical m arijuana
and driving under the influence
laws would remain unchanged.
If voters say yes, marijuana
consumption of all forms would
be allowed, but the law bans
consumption in public, except
where permitted by signs. It also
bans sales to possession by mi
nors.
Measure 80 would also pro
hibit the regulation of hemp, giv
ing Oregon farmers the right to
grow hemp to be sold for use as
food, fiber, biofuel and textiles.
Ending the prohibition on can
nabis has been a controversial
debate in Oregon and country
wide for decades attracting a
variety of critics and supporters.
Will Oregonians vote to loosen
marijuana laws?
Oregon lawyers in favor of
Measure 80 say marijuana’s in
clusion in the government’s “war
on drugs” does more harm than
good. More than 800,000 people
are arrested for marijuana each
year while Oregon spends about
$60 million each year to enforce
existing marijuana laws, accord
ing to Measure 80 backers.
Advocates say regulating ver
sus criminalizing the drug would
save the state millions of dollars
and make consum ption safer
outside of current black markets
and organized crime. Support
ers say cannabis taxes and rev
enue will create a significant
income stream for the state, cre
ate new jobs and refocus law
enforcement priorities in favor
of increased public safety.
Oregon law enforcement of
ficials oppose the measure. A
group of local sheriffs say the
anticipated tax revenue for state-
run sales of marijuana will not
cover the annual states costs for
prevention treatment and recov
ery. They also say marijuana, its
production and delivery, nega
tively impacts communities and
is strongly associated with crimi
nal behavior.
A group of Oregon police
chiefs say Measure 80 poses
risks of increased marijuana use
among youth, more impaired
continued
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on page 10