INITIATIVE LETS PATIENTS BUY MARIJUANA FROM DISPENSERS

Oregon's medical marijuana patients could buy marijuana from
state-licensed dispensaries under an initiative filed Thursday by
advocates of the law.

The initiative, filed with the Secretary of State's Office by the
newly formed Life with Dignity Committee, would make a number of other
changes to the law, which was approved by Oregon voters in 1998.

The law makes it legal for certain sick people to smoke, possess and
grow marijuana.

The changes are needed because of the difficulty many patients have
with growing their own marijuana, said John Sajo, director of Voter
Power, a Portland-based medical marijuana advocacy group that's
leading the initiative campaign.

Initiative sponsors need to gather 66,786 valid signatures by July 5
to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

The medical marijuana dispensaries would be run by non-profit
organizations that would pay a $1,000 fee and pay a percentage of
sales to Oregon Health Services, which administers the program. The
dispensaries also would be required to provide free marijuana to
indigent patients.

Other changes proposed in the initiative include:

- - Lowering the annual fee paid by patients from $150 to
$20.

- - Allowing nurse-practitioners and naturopaths to sign applications
for qualified patients. Only physicians and osteopaths may now sign.

- - Allowing patients to use marijuana for any medical condition, so
long as their medical provider believes it could help.

- - Increasing the amount of marijuana a patient could grow and possess.
Patients could possess up to one pound of marijuana, up from the three
ounces now allowed. And they could grow up to 10 plants, up from three
mature and four immature plants. Any plant under 1-foot tall would not
count against the 10.

- - Specifying that caregivers - people designated under the law who
grow for patients - could grow for up to 10 patients.

- - Allowing patients to compensate caregivers for their time and
labor.

- - Requiring Oregon Health Services to set up a system that would
enable law enforcement officials to verify the status of card-holders
24 hours a day, seven days a week. Currently police are able to verify
card-holders only during business hours on week days.