MARIJUANA NEAR SCHOOL STIRS FORMER KEIZER COUNCILOR ACTION

He Urges Reworking of Law for Medical Growers

Former Keizer city councilor Chuck Lee has requested that city
officials look into creating an ordinance that would ban Oregon
medical marijuana providers from growing near schools.

On Thursday, Keizer Police investigated the theft of live medical
marijuana plants from Anthony Beasley, who lives near McNary High
School, police spokesman Capt. Jeff Kuhns said.

Kuhns said that although police found that the medical marijuana
provider was in compliance with state law, he has received feedback
from many Keizer residents about the issue.

"I've heard from plenty of citizens (who) don't think marijuana
should be grown in that fashion," Kuhns said. "The law needs to be
looked at again."

Lee, who wrote the letter as a private citizen, submitted the letter
to city officials before news of the theft was made public. He said
heard about the grower more than three weeks ago.

Lee is a member of the Salem-Keizer school board and the president of
Blanchet Catholic School.

Lee said he is not against the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program but
felt that a city ordinance or state law should be crafted that would
prohibit all medical marijuana operations from within 1,000 feet of a
school. A similar statute exists for possession or delivery of illegal drugs.

"I think it's a loophole through the medical marijuana law," Lee said.

Beasley, a legitimate medical marijuana grower, said he has been
under the program for about eight months. Beasley said living so
close to the school wasn't ideal, but he wanted to find a property
suitable for his operation.

Beasley said he was trying to avoid attention to his property by
keeping his place secure. It was early Wednesday morning when Keizer
police contacted him while investigating a neighbor's report of an
armed person in the area. Since then, he has placed tarps to block
the plants from view.

Lee said that if the proposal dies at the city level, he's prepared
to seek a change in state law.

"I just hope that we can avoid something like that from happening
again in Keizer or maybe in any other school," Lee said. "We want to
be careful of the safety and the welfare of the kids. Growing
marijuana a couple of feet of where they're parking cars is not ideal."