Oregon Group at the Center of New Attempt to Modify State’s Medical Marijuana Laws

The Oregon Marijuana Policy Initiative, or OMPI, recently filed a proposed initiative that would order the Oregon Health Authority to create a regulated supply and distribution system for patients using medical marijuana in the state of Oregon. The initiative must collect at least 1,000 valid signatures in order to qualify for an official ballot title, and must obtain about 85,000 signatures of registered Oregon voters in order to qualify for the Oregon general election ballot in November of 2012. The OMPI describes itself as “a coalition of marijuana patient and advocacy groups seeking to secure social justice for Oregon’s marijuana users and medical marijuana patients.”

The “Medical Marijuana Supply and Regulation Act” would allow the OHA until July 1, 2013 to create a system for supplying medical marijuana to cardholding patients through Medical Marijuana Health Centers. The OHA would be required to issue rules regarding licensing, fees and taxation, location and zoning of production facilities and Health Centers, and more.

The Oregon Marijuana Policy Initiative has also filed an initiative for a constitutional amendment that would decriminalize personal use and cultivation of marijuana in the state of Oregon. That measure has received more than 1,000 valid signatures and is now going through the process of obtaining an official ballot title from the Oregon Attorney General. The OMPI describes itself as “a coalition of marijuana patient and advocacy groups seeking to secure social justice for Oregon’s marijuana users and medical marijuana patients.”

Although Oregon was the second state to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana in 1998, questions of administration have been have been contended for years. Measure 33 sought to allow the creation of nonprofit, state-licensed marijuana dispensaries and to raise the possession limit for individual patients, but was defeated by voters in 2004. Measure 74 sought once again to create state-licensed dispensaries, and to create a program to assist low-income marijuana patients, but was defeated by voters in 2010.