BETTER CANNABIS SUPPLY NEEDED

As a wheelchair-bound, arthritic Oregon Medical Marijuana Program
cardholder who has absolutely no chance of ever "growing my own," I
find the current state laws extremely frustrating.

The program has its good points, but the supply of marijuana for
thousands of OMMP patients has been sadly lacking since the program's
inception.

This shortage prevents patients from properly utilizing cannabis'
preventive and healing qualities in addressing the major medical
problems we patients face in order to get an OMMP card in the first place!

Most frustrating for me is I have the legal right to possess 18
ounces of marijuana, but no legal means to purchase any. My gnarled
hands are further tied since it is illegal for other cardholder
growers to sell to me, their fellow cardholder, any excess.

This supply issue is continually getting worse. Statewide, nearly
3,000 doctors have written marijuana recommendations with
approximately 24,000 patients currently enrolled.

Voter Power, an Oregon based medical marijuana advocacy group, has
written an innovative way to solve this problem. Initiative 28
creates a revenue-generating, regulated medical marijuana supply
system of nonprofit operated dispensaries. The bill also provides the
state with an estimated $75 million in revenue in the first five
years to conduct scientific research on cannabis and other DHS
programs, like the Oregon Health Plan.

Wasn't safe access to medical marijuana the voters' intention in
1998? This initiative will fulfill that intention.

Jim Greig

Eugene