Marijuana Law Reform Measures Pending in Oregon
Contact Your State Senator or Representative and Urge Support for Marijuana Law Reform.

Please Help Allow Medical Cannabis for PTSD for Veterans, Police, Firefighters and Other American Citizens | The PTSD Bill (S.B. 281) has passed Health and Human Services (see video) and is now in the Judiciary Committee. We are continuing the process of lining up expert witnesses and testimony. Stay tuned for next hearing. Time for the many PTSD sufferers who have found good results with medical cannabis use, especially for relief of insomnia and anxiety to come forward. Time to tell your legislators how medical marijuana has helped you, whether by lessening anxiety, improving mood, improving sleep, eliminating nightmares and producing an overall improved sense of well-being.

Contact your Oregon State Representatives and Senators and get them to sign on as co-sponsors to the PTSD bill (S.B.281) and vote YES on it each and every opportunity they have. They need to hear from the multitude patients have tried and failed other medication treatments, to tell them Cannabis allows Patients to continue to function with little to no adverse side effects. It is important they hear from you! For text of the bill, talking points, and all the details - Visit our PTSD action center today. And tell everybody you know about it. Then tell everybody you don't know. Yet.

Legislation Pending to Legalize and License Medicinal Cannabis Dispensaries | Legislation is pending to legalize and license medicinal cannabis dispensaries. House Bill 3460 "directs [the] Oregon Health Authority to establish a registration system for medical marijuana facilities." Such facilities exist presently in the state but are unregulated and are subject to state and local prosecution. Oregonians initially authorized the physician-supervised use of cannabis in 1998. However, the law limits patients' access to cannabis to either home-cultivation or cultivation by a designated caregiver. Passage of HB 3460 will provide authorized patients with legal, state-sanctioned, above-ground safe access to their medicine. You can write your House member in support of HB 3460 by visiting NORML's 'Take Action Center' > here < W-V-NORML will keep you updated as this legislation moves forward. Full text of the measure is here >> Learn more >>)

Marijuana Legalization Bill Heard April 2 | Legislation has been introduced in Oregon by the House Committee on Revenue that would legalize and regulate the adult use of marijuana. House Bill 3371 would establish a regulatory system, similar to the one in place in the state for alcohol, for the cultivation, production, and sale of cannabis to adults over 21. Adults would be allowed to possess up to 24 ounces of usable marijuana and grow up to six plants in their homes, in addition to purchasing it from regulated retail outlets. The House Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on April 2. The committee did not issue a recommendation on the measure, but sent HB 3371 to the House Revenue Committee for further consideration. Committee Chairman Representative Jeff Barker stated, "This bill is going to be moved to Revenue, where it'll have the substantial policy debate. There's no sense having everybody spend all day today or longer here talking about it when it'll actually be dealt with down there."

It is imperative that your Representative hears from you in support of this measure, particularly the members of the House Revenue Committee. You can contact your Representative by entering your zip code below and you can find the contact information for House Revenue Committee members >> here << There are now marijuana legalization bills pending in seven state legislatures. The voters in Colorado and Washington set the ball of legalization rolling on Election Day and it seems unlikely to slow down anytime soon.

Please take time today to contact your state House member and urge him or her to support HB 3371. For your convenience, a pre-written letter will be e-mailed to your elected official when you visit NORML's 'Take Action Center' >> here < W-V-NORML will continue to update you in the coming weeks as this proposal moves forward.

NORML has made it easy and convenient for you to amend the laws in your state. NORML's Legislative Action Alert page has up-to-date information on marijuana law reform proposals, upcoming legislative hearings, and scheduled votes. With a few quick clicks of a mouse, you can also contact your state elected officials and urge them to vote 'yes' for saner pot policies. Click - here > Act NORML - and Spread The Word!

Federal (US) Bills, Contact Your Representatives and Urge Support for Marijuana Law Reform.

Federal Measures Introduced to Legalize Marijuana and Regulate Its Sales | Two members of the House of Representatives, Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), have introduced measures to de-federalize marijuana policy and create a framework for the retail cannabis production and sale in states that allow it.

Representative Polis' legislation, House Resolution 499: The Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013, would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, transfer the Drug Enforcement Administration’s authority to regulate marijuana to a newly renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms, require commercial marijuana producers to purchase a permit, and ensure that federal law distinguishes between individuals who grow marijuana for personal use and those involved in commercial sale and distribution.

Representative Blumenauer's bill, House Resolution 501: The Marijuana Tax Equity Act, would impose an excise tax on the first sale of marijuana, from the producer to the next stage of production, usually the processor. These regulations are similar to those that now exist for alcohol and tobacco. The bill will also require the IRS to produce a study of the industry after two years, and every five years after that, and to issue recommendations to Congress to continue improving the administration of the tax.

You can read more about these historic measures >> here <

Federal Industrial Hemp Farming Legislation Reintroduced In Congress | Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) and 28 co-sponsors, including House Agriculture Committee ranking member Collin Peterson (D-MN), have reintroduced legislation in Congress that requires the federal government to respect state laws allowing the cultivation of industrial hemp. Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa that contains only trace (less than one percent) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis. House Bill 525, the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013, amends the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana. The measure grants state legislatures the authority to license and regulate the commercial production of hemp as an industrial and agricultural commodity.

Companion legislation, Senate Bill 359, has been introduced in the Senate by a bi-partisan coalition of lawmakers, including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). You can read the full text of that measure here. Eight states – Colorado, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia – have enacted statutory changes defining industrial hemp as distinct agricultural product and allowing for its regulated commercial production. Passage of HR 525 would remove existing federal barriers and allow these states and others the authority to do so without running afoul of federal anti-drug laws.

“Industrial hemp is a sustainable crop and could be a great economic opportunity for Kentucky farmers,” Rep. Massie stated in a press release. “Industrial hemp will give small farmers another opportunity to succeed.” Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) are supporting the introduction of a companion bill in the US Senate. According to a Congressional Research Service report, "The United States is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop." Previous versions of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act have stalled in Congress. The issue has never before been debated in the Senate. To contact your Congressional House member in support of HB 525, please use the pre-written letter >> here <

Support the Truth in Trials Act | Federal legislation, House Bill 710, has been reintroduced in Congress to protect state-authorized medical marijuana patients and their providers from federal prosecution. Eighteen states -- Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington -- as well as the District of Columbia, have enacted laws protecting medical marijuana patients and their providers from state prosecution. Yet in all of these states, patients and providers still face the risk of federal sanction -- even if their activities are fully compliant with state law. Passage of House Bill 710 would codify legal protections for defendants caught between state and federal laws, ensuring that they can cite state law as a legal defense in federal trials.

It states: "Any person facing prosecution or a proceeding for any marijuana-related offense under any Federal law shall have the right to introduce evidence demonstrating that the marijuana-related activities for which the person stands accused were performed in compliance with State law regarding the medical use of marijuana." Please write your members of Congress today and tell them to protect state-authorized medical marijuana patients and their providers. For your convenience, a prewritten letter will be e-mailed to your member of Congress when you enter your contact information >> here < Thank you for assisting NORML's federal law reform efforts.

Support the States' Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act | Federal lawmakers have reintroduced legislation to provide for additional and necessary legal protections for state-authorized medical marijuana patients. House Bill 689, the States' Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, would ensure that medical cannabis patients in states that have approved its use will no longer have to fear arrest or prosecution from federal law enforcement agencies. It states, “No provision of the Controlled Substances Act shall prohibit or otherwise restrict in a State in which marijuana may be prescribed or recommended by a physician for medical use under applicable State law.” The measure also calls for an expedited rescheduling review by the federal government to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I prohibited substance. It states: “Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration shall, based upon the recommendation under paragraph (1), issue a notice of proposed rulemaking for the rescheduling of marijuana within the Controlled Substances Act, which shall include a recommendation to list marijuana as other than a ‘‘Schedule I’’ or ‘‘Schedule II.’’

Eighteen states -- Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington -- as well as the District of Columbia have enacted laws protecting medical marijuana patients from state prosecution. Yet in all of these states, patients and providers still face the risk of federal sanction -- even when their actions are fully compliant with state law. It is time that we allowed our unique federalist system to work the way it was intended. Patients and their state representatives should have the authority to enact laws permitting the medical use of cannabis -- free from federal interference. Please write your members of Congress today and tell them to stop targeting and prosecuting state-authorized medical marijuana patients and providers. For your convenience, a prewritten letter will be e-mailed to your member of Congress when you enter your contact information You can view the full text of this measure >> here <

Register, Vote and Get Everybody You Know to Do So Also. And Vote Smart! See profiles about nearly all candidates for federal and state offices, to include what the candidates have stated is their position on drug issues.   Biographical Information, Voting Records, Issue Positions, Interest Group Ratings, Public Statements, Campaign Finances, Voter Registration, Ballot Measures, Issues and Legislation, Political Resources, and more. Politics is going to the Dogs! So, Bite Back with Project Vote Smart. Visit - Vote-Smart.org for more.

Also, Visit -  NORMLs Action page for more good stuff.

Voting for Hemp | Industrial Hemp Information and Advocacy. Vote Hemp is a national, single-issue, non-profit advocacy group founded in 2000 by members of the hemp industry to remove barriers to industrial hemp farming in the U.S. through education, legislation and advocacy.   They work to build grassroots support for hemp through voter education, registration and mobilization, as well as defend against any new laws, regulations or policies that would prohibit or restrict hemp trade. VoteHemp.com was created to educate and reactivate voters who have lost faith in the political system. Visit - VoteHemp.com.

Please check out their newly-updated 2008 Voter Guide and see for yourself the presidential candidates' positions on industrial hemp. Visit - votehemp.com/voter_guide.html.

Bills of Interest. Query every candidate running for office - from local dog-catcher to presidential contender - on how they would vote on these bills, and publish the response/s - or lack thereof!  Click here for more.

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Contacting Officials.   Visit NORMLs page to find your rep as well as other Resources.   Go to - xxx.

Citizens guide to US Congress.   The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election.   Click here for more.

Citizens guide to Oregon State legislative process. With stuff like How to Testify in Front of Committee, Getting to the Capitol, Find Your Legislator, Writing your legislator, Phoning Your Legislator, Members Email Address formats, To check up on bills; and more.  Click here for more.

RESOURCEs & Ideas! Like, HeadCount.  Click here for more.

Registering to Vote. NOTE! Felons can vote in Oregon.  Click here for more.

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