DOMINO EFFECT: NEW BARRIER TO OLD MEDICINE

Oregonians passed the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (OMMA) by voter
initiative in 1998 but opponents still threaten it. The Oregon Medical
Marijuana Program (OMMP) annual permit is $100 for most but is
discounted to $20 for the nearly 30% of registrants on the Oregon
Health Plan or SSI. Patients can barely afford these fees. Yet,
medical marijuana opponents seek a large fee increase.

The Domino Effect: A Business Plan for Rebuilding Substance Abuse
Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery. Prepared for: Governor
Kulongoski and Members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly By The
Governor's Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse Programs proposes to:
"Increase medical marijuana card application and renewal fee to $150
and earmark revenue above the level required to administer the
program for prevention, treatment and recovery services program
beginning in the 2007-2009 biennium". See:

www.oregon.gov/DHS/addiction/publications/07-09businessplan.pdf

Senate Bill (SB) 1085, passed during the 2005 Legislative Session,
established the Department of Human Services (DHS) Advisory Committee
on Medical Marijuana (ACMM). The new statute says the ACMM shall
"advise the [DHS] director on the administrative aspects of the Oregon
Medical Marijuana Program, review current administrative rules of the
program and provide annual input on the fee structure of the program".

The Domino Effect directly impacts the fee structure of the program.
The ACMM voted unanimously to oppose all medical marijuana portions of
The Domino Effect. Medical marijuana advocates see a discriminatory
medicine tax that disproportionately burdens the poor; worsens access
to medicine; and wastes taxpayer money.

The Domino Effect received no input from medical cannabis patients or
advocates. It provides no evidence that medical cannabis raises costs
to Oregonians. It ignores patient reports that medical cannabis lowers
tax burden. For many patients, including those on the Oregon Health
Plan, herbal cannabis replaces more expensive pharmaceuticals.

The Domino Effect tax targets Oregonians with pain syndromes, cancer,
HIV, Multiple Sclerosis, and other health problems. It ignores
patients getting discounted fees and others who cannot afford
expensive annual fees. If registration fees become unaffordable, then
unregistered medical marijuana gardens increase substantially.
Unregistered patients risk being arrested and processed through the
criminal justice system, which leads to unnecessary human suffering at
taxpayer expense. Bipartisan efforts to craft SB 1085 included
legislators, patient advocates, and Law Enforcement all working to
remedy this.

An editorial in the June 23 Bend Bulletin mocked The Domino Effect as
a new "Sin Tax". The Bulletin concluded, "A better plan would be to
treat medical marijuana and those who use it as Oregonians and the law
intended. The governor's council should drop this silly fundraising
scheme and move on."

All who support our Oregon Medical Marijuana Act, please contact
Governor Kulongoski and ask him to oppose the medical marijuana parts
of The Domino Effect. The Governor's contact information is here:

http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/contact_us.shtml