MEAS. 74 WOULD FURTHER CONFUSE POT ISSUE

Oregon's allowance for the medical use of marijuana has created a mess
- -- placing pot in a murky legal status that is confusing for law
enforcement, employers and even the people who might have a legitimate
health reason for the use of marijuana.

Given the well-documented problems with the medical marijuana program,
we agree with proponents of Measure 74, which appears on the Nov. 2
ballot: Something needs to be done. In our view, however, this
particular measure would only add to the confusion, pushing marijuana
closer to legalization without actually making it legal.

Measure 74 would set up a system of nonprofit dispensaries that could
produce, sell, transport and supply pot to people who hold medical
marijuana cards. At present, it is very easy to obtain a medical
marijuana card from physicians who specialize in authorizing such
cards. Tens of thousands of Oregonians have been granted these cards
in the 12 years since voters initially approved the medical marijuana
program.

But there are obvious troubles that arise from granting marijuana
cards by the thousands. When some people can legally use pot -- but
others cannot -- police have difficulty enforcing drug laws, and
employers are burdened with deciding whether some workers should be
excluded from their drug policies.

Measure 74 doesn't solve these issues, but it does have the potential
to greatly expand the availability of marijuana and encourage even
more people to avail themselves of the program.

We have argued before that Oregonians need to make up their minds
about marijuana -- either it is legal or it is not. Measure 74 takes
another incremental step toward legalization, but fails to ask the
real hard questions about pot in overall society. Voters should reject
this measure, lest they further confuse a system that's confounding
enough already.