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OPINION
East Oregonian
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Publisher
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
MARISSA WILLIAMS
Regional Advertising Director
MARCY ROSENBERG
Circulation Manager
JANNA HEIMGARTNER
Business Office Manager
MIKE JENSEN
Production Manager
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OUR VIEW
Early results in city’s
cannabis experiment
Marijuana has been legal for adults marijuana off the street and put an
to ingest and possess in Oregon for
alleged dealer behind bars, the local
two years, and in Pendleton it has
legal shops reported a boost in sales.
been legal to sell — pending a state
That would seem to indicate many
and city permit — for six months.
users were only willing to turn to
Some things have changed in that
a dispensary when an illicit source
time while others have not.
went out of commission.
In some ways, the lack of change
That’s economics, of course. A
is a good thing. Legalizing a harmful shop with overhead like rent and
substance has not caused our society
bills and a 20 percent tax taken off
to crumble, and
the top will have to
capitalism and
charge more for the
humanity have
Long-term cultural product.
continued to move
But in the
effects are still
forward unabated
long term, we
in Round-Up City
think legalizing
unknown, but
and the Beaver
marijuana will
State. The hospital
a debilitating
early indications have
hasn’t seen a
effect on the black
rise in children
market. There is no
are promising.
accidentally
car parked outside
ingesting edibles,
your local liquor
and motor vehicle crashes attributed
store offering knock-off hooch at a
to THC impairment haven’t spiked.
discounted price out of the trunk,
Long-term cultural effects are still and by and large restaurants follow
the OLCC licensing process before
unknown, but early indications are
serving wine and beer.
promising.
The comparison between the two
A positive change is the local
intoxicants isn’t perfect. Growing
public safety budget. More tax
marijuana is certainly easier than
dollars are going into public coffers
— $25,000 directly to the city, based brewing or distilling from home, and
the law is generous in how much an
on budget predictions — and fewer
individual can harvest. An enthusiast
tax dollars are being spent in law
with a green thumb could legally
enforcement and the courts to chase
down a marginally harmful substance cultivate more than enough cannabis
to cover his needs and those of his
and punish those who choose to use
friends year-round, as long as he’s
it. None of that will fix all that ails
not selling what he’s growing.
the city, but it’s cold cash for a city
But eventually, if legal
with bills to pay.
dispensaries offer a safe place to
But in other, more harmful ways,
shop with good customer service
things remain the same.
and a good product, more users will
The black market has yet to be
migrate that way and be willing
eliminated in Pendleton, costing city
and state taxpayers money, as well as to pay more to know what they’re
getting and having the satisfaction of
local above-board business owners.
not breaking the law while doing it.
It’s the black market folks who are
Marijuana isn’t working perfectly
much more likely to sell to minors, or
yet, but big change takes time. It’s
have harder drugs to offer alongside
their marijuana. They’re drug dealers worth watching, and we remain of
the opinion that youth access to the
after all.
drug should be serious concern — as
After a local bust last month
it is with alcohol and tobacco.
that took a substantial amount of
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of publisher
Kathryn Brown, managing editor Daniel Wattenburger, and opinion page editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
OTHER VIEWS
Legislature should support
rural public transit
By JEANINE GORDON
Kayak Public Transit
K
AYAK Public Transit, operated
by the Confederated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reservation, is
a rural, regional transit system serving
Eastern Oregon and Southeastern
Washington.
The brand KAYAK was inspired by
a Cayuse/Nez Perce word, “K’ay’ak,”
which means “to be free of obstructions.”
Riders overcome the obstacles of both
cost and distance because KAYAK
Public Transit provides fare-free transit
service with the help of tribal, local,
state, and federal funding sources.
But state support for rural transit
has never been a priority despite the
economic benefit to our communities.
Until now. The Legislature now has an
opportunity to improve our region’s
transit system with HB 2017.
It’s a landmark bill that would
provide dedicated state funding
for transportation across Oregon,
specifically including earmarked funds
for transit. These critical investments
will carry us strongly into the next
decade. Kayak Public Transit is open to
everyone. Our buses transport tribal and
non-tribal community members with a
fixed-route system connecting people
in two states, four counties, and 17
communities creating a vital lifeline for
residents in rural Oregon.
Kayak Public Transit riders
are workers, seniors, people with
disabilities, veterans, and families.
Transit allows our neighbors and friends
to safely get to work, college, health care
appointments and more. Rural transit
is unique because the primary systems
across Oregon are in metropolitan areas.
But regardless of address, sometimes
people are unable to drive or don’t have
access to a vehicle. The money public
transit riders save on fuel and vehicle
wear and tear can be spent at places of
business in our communities.
Likewise, transit reduces the number
of vehicles on the road and allows for
improved freight mobility. At the end of
the day, public transportation boosts our
local economies, elevates air quality and
offers a range of choices for those who
can’t find housing in the city where they
work. These are not the only benefits of
public transportation, however.
Public transit is a safe transportation
option for commuters and passengers
who would normally travel by car on rural
roads and highways, thereby decreasing
vehicle congestion and the accident
probability rate. What could dedicated
funding mean to KAYAK and riders if
HB 2017 passes? KAYAK’s turn-around
times on major routes could drop by half
from the current 2-4 hours to 1-2 hours;
service between Umatilla and Tri- Cities
could be re-established; service with
other transit providers in the Columbia
Gorge could allow riders to travel from
Ontario to Portland; and transportation
for employees to and from the Port of
Morrow could be a possibility, and that’s
only the beginning. HB 2017 would
deliver a much needed shot in the arm
to grow the transportation system that
our Eastern Oregon communities rely on
to thrive. If you want the Legislature to
invest in Eastern Oregon, contact your
legislators to say HB 2017 is the answer.
■
Jeanine Gordon is the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation’s program manager for
Kayak Public Transit.
OTHER VIEWS
Opioids, a mass killer we’re
meeting with a shrug
A
result in an additional 23 million
bout as many Americans are
Americans being uninsured in a
expected to die this year of
decade — and thus less able to get
drug overdoses as died in the
drug treatment. Other, more technical
Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars
elements of the GOP plan would also
combined.
result in less treatment.
For more than 100 years, death
rates have been dropping for
Second, Tom Price, the secretary of
Americans — but now, because of
health and human services, last month
opioids, death rates are rising again.
Nicholas seemed to belittle the medication
We as a nation are going backward,
Kristof treatments for opioid addiction that
and drug overdoses are now the
have the best record, and Attorney
Comment
leading cause of death for Americans
General Jeff Sessions still seems to
under 50.
think we can jail our way out of the
“There’s no question that there’s an
problem.
epidemic and that this is a national public
Third, Trump’s main step has been to
health emergency,” Dr. Leana Wen, the health
appoint Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey
commissioner of Baltimore, told me. “The
to lead a task force to investigate opioid
number of people overdosing is skyrocketing,
addiction. But we needn’t waste more time
and we have no indication that
investigating, for we know
we’ve reached the peak.”
what to do — and in any case
Yet our efforts to address
Christie talks a good game but
this scourge are pathetic.
bungled the issue in his home
We responded to World
state.
War II with the storming of
Among experts, there’s
Normandy, and to Sputnik
overwhelming evidence of
with our moon shot. Yet we
what works best: medication
answer this current national
in conjunction with
menace with … a Republican
counseling. This doesn’t
plan for health care that would
succeed in every case, but
deprive millions of insurance and lead to even it does reduce deaths and improve lives. It
more deaths!
also saves public money, because a result is
More on President Donald Trump’s
fewer emergency room visits and inpatient
fumbling of this problem in a moment.
hospital stays. So the question isn’t whether
But it’s bizarre that Republicans should be
we can afford treatment for all people fighting
complacent about opioids, because the toll
addiction, but whether we can afford not to
is disproportionately in red states — and it
provide it.
affects everyone.
The bottom line is that we need a major
Mary Taylor, the Republican lieutenant
national public health initiative to treat as
governor of Ohio and now a candidate for
many Americans abusing drugs as possible,
governor, has acknowledged that both her
with treatment based on science and evidence.
sons, Joe and Michael, have struggled with
We also need to understand that drug
opioid addiction, resulting in two overdoses at overdoses are symptoms of deeper malaise —
home, urgent calls for ambulances and failed
“deaths of despair,” in the words of Anne Case
drug rehab efforts. Good for her for speaking
and Angus Deaton of Princeton University,
up.
stemming from economic woes — and seek to
It should be a national scandal that
address the underlying issues.
only 10 percent of Americans with opioid
Above all, let’s show compassion.
problems get treatment. This reflects our failed Addiction is a disease, like diabetes and high
insistence on treating opioids as a criminal
blood pressure. We would never tell diabetics
justice problem rather than as a public health
to forget medication and watch their diets and
crisis.
exercise more — and we would be aghast
A Times investigation published this month if only 10 percent of diabetics were getting
estimated that more than 59,000 Americans
lifesaving treatment.
died in 2016 of drug overdoses, in the largest
Innumerable people with addictions whom
annual jump in such deaths ever recorded in
I’ve interviewed haunt me. One was a nurse
the U.S. One reason is the spread of fentanyl,
who became dependent on prescription
a synthetic opioid that is cheap and potent,
painkillers and was fired when she was caught
leading to overdoses.
stealing painkillers from a hospital. She
Another bad omen: As a nation, we’re
became homeless and survived by providing
still hooked on prescription painkillers.
sex to strangers in exchange for money or
Last year, there were more than 236 million
drugs.
prescriptions written for opioids in the United
She wept as she told me her story, for she
States — that’s about one bottle of opioids for was disgusted with what she had become —
every American adult.
but we as a society should be disgusted by our
Even with all that’s at stake, there are three own collective complacency, by our refusal to
reasons to doubt that Trump will confront the
help hundreds of thousands of neighbors who
problem.
are sick and desperate for help.
First, Trump and Republicans in Congress
■
seem determined to repeal Obamacare, which
Nicholas Kristof grew up on a sheep and
provides for addiction treatment, and slash
cherry farm in Yamhill. A columnist for The
Medicaid. The Congressional Budget Office
New York Times since 2001, he won the
estimated that the GOP House plan would
Pulitzer Prize two times, in 1990 and 2006.
We need a
major national
public health
initiative.
YOUR VIEWS
Fire bond rate as advertised
The letter “Fire tax bond higher than
advertised by city” is just not true.
You can verify this by reading the voters
pamphlet for yourself. It states that “The
bonds are estimated to cost approximately 62
cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.”
The speaking points that I was asked to
provide involved the county bond being paid
off in 2016 along with a city of Pendleton
bond being paid in the same year. The two
bonds equaled 48 cents per $1,000, creating a
net cost to the taxpayer of 14 cents.
This was strictly talking points and to my
knowledge never advertised as the rate to be
charged. The information was also placed in
the voters’ pamphlet as talking points.
It is unfortunate that embittered perceptions
choose to never see any good or the efforts to
improve our community. Please take the time
to learn the facts for yourself and don’t let the
misguided information portray the reality.
Paul Chalmers
Pendleton
Criticism comes with territory
I would suggest that Mayor John Turner
check with his city attorney before he rebukes
a citizen at a public hearing. As a public
servant, your rights concerning libel and other
items are much different. If this person wants
to call you a disgusting thief, he can. Just ask
the politicians in the big city.
You owe him an apology, Mr. Mayor.
JL Humphrey
Pendleton
LETTERS POLICY
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public
policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right
to withhold letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters
that infringe on the rights of private citizens. Submitted letters must be signed by the author
and include the city of residence and a daytime phone number. The phone number will not
be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send letters to managing editor Daniel
Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com.