COUNCIL WILL VOTE ON POT FINE INCREASE

Eugene City Council members vote tonight on whether to increase fines for
marijuana possession

For pot puffers getting busted this year, the current $100 fine may go up
in smoke.

The Eugene City Council will vote tonight on an ordinance to increase the
fine for less-than-an-ounce of marijuana from $100 to $250 -- a
controversial proposal that sent ripples through the pot-smoking community
and provoked heavy criticism at the City Council's public forum last month.

Supporters of the proposal hope the increase will provide an incentive for
marijuana offenders to join a new, low-cost diversion program called
"Marijuana and Other Drugs," run by the University's Substance Abuse
Prevention Program. Court officials have said the program will cost $90 and
will be open to all offenders. Without the increase, there would only be a
$10 difference between the new diversion program and the fine, prompting
city leaders to speculate most offenders would choose the fine.

Ward 3 City Councilor David Kelly, who represents the University area, said
students with a drug conviction could potentially have their financial aid
suspended, and since MOD would clear the record of first-time offenders,
students could be given a second chance.

"Just based on comments at the last meeting, I certainly expect it will
pass," he said.

A similar action recently was taken with alcohol-related offenses, giving
an incentive for students to join the Beginning Underage Success Through
Educational Diversion program, also run by SAPP. BUSTED was created two
years ago as an alternative to the maximum $250 fine for a handful of
alcohol-related offenses.

Municipal Court Judge Wayne Allen said at January's public forum that the
increased fines, together with the new diversion program, will give
offenders incentive to choose diversion.

"Our desire here is to build upon the success of the BUSTED program," he said.

But Todd Dalotto said the increase would hurt people who qualify for the
Oregon Medical Marijuana Act.

Dalotto, who is the executive director for the Compassion Center, said many
qualified medical marijuana patients turn to street use either because they
can't afford the $150 fee or because they can't find a participating
physician. He said the fine increase will ultimately affect these people,
who need marijuana to ease medical symptoms but can't obtain it legally.

"Although the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act protects regular patients, it
actually covers a small amount of patients," he said. "A lot of valid,
otherwise qualified medical patients out on the street possess less than an
ounce that they use for medicine."

Tonight's meeting will be at 7:30 in the City Council chambers.