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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2019)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Oregon lawmakers move to prepare for interstate marijuana commerce By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press MORE INSIDE 25 local governments sue over California pot delivery Page A8 SALEM — It may seem like a pipe dream now, but Oregon lawmakers are antic- ipating the federal govern- ment legalizing, or at least tolerating, the interstate transfer of marijuana. The Senate Judiciary Committee moved forward a bill this week empower- ing the governor to enter into agreements with other states for such transactions. The bill, which was completely rewritten in an amendment, goes to the Senate floor for a vote. Unlike the original bill, the new version specifies that it would not be operative until federal law is amended to allow for the interstate transfer of marijuana, or the U.S. Department of Justice issues an opinion or memo- randum allowing or tolerat- ing it. Sen. Cliff Bentz, one of two Republican committee members who voted against the bill, said he prefers to wait for the federal govern- ment to take action. But Sen. Shemia Fagan of Portland, who was among four Democrats and one Republican who voted in AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File In this Sept. 30, 2016, file photo, a marijuana harvester exam- ines buds going through a trimming machine near Corvallis. favor Wednesday, said it would give Oregon mari- juana businesses an advan- tage if and when the federal government opens the path. “Oregon’s industry is basically first in line for when the feds do act,” Fagan said. “If we wait until the feds act, then all the other states will be working with their legisla- tures to then pass, and Ore- gon will kind of be at the tip of the spear and take advan- tage of what could be a lucra- tive opportunity for Oregon industry.” There are several bills in Congress that would take marijuana off the federal controlled substances list. Their future remains uncer- tain, but even a decision by the federal Justice Depart- ment to de-prioritize prose- cuting interstate marijuana commerce would be enough for Oregon’s governor to start seeking cooperation with other states, according to the bill and its co-sponsor, Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene. “The governor would not be able to move for- ward unless there was some- thing like a new Cole memo, Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY A shower or two this afternoon Occasional rain and drizzle Cloudy with a couple of showers Mostly cloudy, showers around Times of clouds and sun 59° 45° 59° 46° PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 59° 40° 56° 40° 57° 40° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 64° 46° 65° 45° 63° 41° 62° 42° 63° 42° OREGON FORECAST ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Seattle Olympia 54/43 52/42 58/39 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 61/49 Lewiston 56/46 63/46 Astoria 56/44 Pullman Yakima 58/42 56/38 60/46 Portland Hermiston 59/48 The Dalles 64/46 Salem Corvallis 57/48 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 55/42 Bend 57/49 55/43 56/45 Ontario 64/48 Caldwell Burns Trace Trace 0.11" 3.59" 2.53" 3.22" WINDS (in mph) 61/48 55/40 Oregon newsrooms team up to ‘break silence’ around suicide across Oregon. Stories will shed light on how the suicide crisis touches every community in the state, regardless of age, gender or sexuality. They’ll also showcase best prevention methods, and how different groups are working to save lives. “With better informa- tion about the scope of the problem and the best prac- tices by way of prevention, we in the media have the possibility of truly saving lives,” said Therese Bot- tomly, editor of The Ore- gonian/Oregon Live, one of the newsrooms partici- pating in the project. The initiative stemmed from a series of round- tables between Oregon media organizations and Dwight Holton, CEO of Lines for Life, a Port- land-based suicide pre- vention nonprofit that also runs a number of crisis lines. Holton, a former fed- eral prosecutor, has pre- viously counseled report- ers on how to sensitively cover suicide by avoiding sensationalist details and by guiding readers toward support services. If done right, he said, journalists can do their part to break down misconceptions about mental health. “The reality is we have a crisis around addic- tion and suicide,” he said. “Part of addressing that is changing the way journal- ists and communities talk and think about suicide.” This type of project, he adds, takes on an added significance in Oregon, which, like other moun- tain states, is experienc- ing suicide rates far higher than the national aver- age. Oregon’s suicide rate jumped 35% in less than two decades, and suicide is the eighth leading cause of death in the state. The Oregon Health Author- ity estimates 825 people died by suicide in 2017, and approximately 14,000 people end up in the emer- gency room each year from trying to harm themselves. By SARAH ZIMMERMAN Associated Press SALEM — If you’re a regular reader of your local news, it’s likely you’ll have a good sense of how many people died in a car crash or of a terminal illness. But it’s less likely you’ll hear when somebody dies by suicide. It’s partly because of a long-held rule across newsrooms not to report on suicide, out of respect for the family and from the belief that reporting on the topic could have a “conta- gious effect” and inspires others to also take their own lives. While there’s some evi- dence for that logic, the nation’s growing number of suicides has become difficult for reporters to ignore. The Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention reports the national suicide rate is at a 50-year high, climbing 33% since 1999. It’s estimated 25,000 Americans died by suicide in 2016 alone. “Journalists stopped covering suicide for some very good reasons,” said Nicole Dahmen, an associ- ate professor of journalism at the University of Ore- gon. “But the unintended consequence of that is that suicide has remained unre- ported, and death by sui- cide has been on the rise so much so that it’s become a public health crisis.” The issue has prompted reporters in Oregon, which has a suicide rate 40% higher than the national average, to take a differ- ent approach to tackling the topic. Over 30 newsrooms from around the state are banding together in an unprecedented, weeklong reporting collaboration to shed light on suicide and its effect on the commu- nity. The project, known as “Breaking the Silence,” will run from April 7 to 14 and involve newspapers, T.V. stations and student media organizations from PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene 67° 46° 62° 38° 82° (1960) 21° (1975) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 57/49 0.04" 0.04" 0.22" 6.12" 3.85" 4.18" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 53/39 59/50 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date HERMISTON Enterprise 59/45 60/46 65° 47° 59° 38° 81° (1952) 24° (1975) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 56/40 Aberdeen 50/41 51/38 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 56/46 or something happening in Congress to permit this type of transaction, or something else coming out of the U.S. Attorneys as to tolerance,” Prozanski told the judiciary committee, which he chairs. The Cole memorandum restricts federal marijuana law enforcement in states where pot is legal. Oregon was the first state to decrim- inalize personal possession, in 1973. It legalized medical marijuana in 1998, and recre- ational use in 2014. Ten states have legalized recreational marijuana. Any agreement with other states must ensure enforce- able public health and safety standards, and include a sys- tem to regulate and track the interstate delivery of mari- juana items, the bill says. The judiciary commit- tee’s action was hailed by Adam J. Smith, executive director of the Craft Canna- bis Alliance, an Oregon asso- ciation of cannabis and allied businesses. “We had an exciting week as export moved for- ward in Oregon, and we are laying the groundwork for a national campaign,” Smith said in a statement. “We are pushing so hard to open new markets for Oregon’s world- class cannabis by 2021.” A yes vote on the Sen- ate floor, which hasn’t been scheduled yet but could hap- pen as early as next week, would send the bill to the House side. Democratic Gov. Kate Brown has not staked out a position on the bill, telling reporters instead that her pri- ority is opening up the bank- ing industry to cannabis businesses. In an indication of how much the industry is booming, cannabis gener- ated a record-high $82 mil- lion in tax revenues for the state during the last fiscal year, according to the Ore- gon Department of Revenue. Saturday, April 6, 2019 Today Boardman Pendleton Medford 62/50 Sun. SSW 7-14 SSW 8-16 WSW 8-16 WSW 8-16 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 54/43 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 6:27 a.m. 7:29 p.m. 7:30 a.m. 9:03 p.m. First Full Last New Apr 12 Apr 19 Apr 26 May 4 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 90° in Immokalee, Fla. Low 6° in Champion, Mich. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Man arrested in rape of Seattle woman seeking ride-share SEATTLE (AP) — A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of rap- ing a Seattle woman who thought he was her Uber driver, police said. The arrest came days after a University of South Caro- lina student was killed after getting into a car that she thought was her Uber ride. The Seattle arrest was made on Wednesday after the King County Sheriff’s Office shared images on social media taken from sur- veillance video. A judge on Thursday found probable cause to hold the man on investiga- tion of third-degree rape and ordered him held in lieu of $750,000 bail. Sheriff’s Office spokes- man Sgt. Ryan Abbott said the man’s name hasn’t been officially released yet, pend- ing formal charges. He said the woman was raped Dec. 16 after she left a Seattle bar to catch an Uber that had been ordered by her friend. The sheriff’s office says a man in a black vehicle led her to believe he was her driver before pulling the car over and raping her. Abbott said a relative saw a photo on tele- vision news and told the sus- pect that he was being inves- tigated for rape. The man reportedly said he was going to go to the sheriff’s office to clear his name. The statement of probable cause outlining the sheriff’s case said the man provided his information to authorities then left a precinct. He and his wife then drove to the home of the vic- tim and knocked on her door and her neighbors’ doors, the statement says. Someone called police and the man was arrested. Police say he claimed he thought the woman con- sented to sex, but he acknowl- edged she was intoxicated. In the South Carolina case, authorities say Saman- tha Josephson was killed after getting into a car think- ing it was her Uber ride. A 24-year-old man charged in that case is accused of using the childproof locks in his car to imprison her. Safety advocates advised that ride-sharing services will send a description of a vehicle, its license tag num- ber and a photo of the driver. They recommended pas- sengers check the informa- tion before getting inside a vehicle. They also suggest requir- ing the driver to give the name of the person request- ing the ride as an extra level of safety. Uber also advises peo- ple to match the license plate number and driver’s photo. Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s 50s ice 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays EastOregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to EastOregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and postal holidays, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Copyright © 2019, EO Media Group 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low CORRECTIONS: The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. 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