10/05/2012 - Myclipp

Reuters General/ - Article, Qua, 16 de Maio de 2012
CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL (Civil Rights)
Supporter of Oregon medical pot law
wins attorney general race
By Teresa Carson PORTLAND, Oregon | Wed May 16,
2012 2:28am EDT PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - In
a primary election race for Oregon's top law
enforcement post, the candidate who pledged to
protect medical marijuana patients scored a decisive
victory Tuesday night over a rival who led a cannabis
crackdown last year. Retired judge Ellen Rosenblum,
strongly backed by proponents of liberalized marijuana
laws, captured 63 percent of the vote in the
Democratic primary for state attorney general, trailed
by former U.S. Attorney Dwight Holton with 36 percent,
according to early returns.Because no Republicans
sought their party's nomination for attorney general,
the Democratic primary victor, Rosenblum, becomes
the presumptive winner in November's general
election, making her the first woman to claim that
office.With Rosenblum and Holton taking similar
stances on issues such as consumer protection, civil
rights and the environment, their diametrically opposed
views on medical marijuana emerged as a key point of
contention in the race, so much so that the campaign
was seen largely as a referendum on drug policy
generally."As attorney general, I will make marijuana
enforcement a low priority, and protect the rights of
medical marijuana patients," Rosenblum said on her
website before the election.By contrast, Holton called
Oregon's medical marijuana law, which has left
distribution and cultivation of pot largely unregulated, a
"trainwreck" that was putting pot "in the hands of kids"
and others who are using it for purposes other than
pain management.In a brief victory statement issued
shortly after election officials began to tally the ballots,
Rosenblum said she was "honored to have been
selected by the voters of Oregon as their choice for the
Democratic nominee (for) Attorney General of
Oregon."She made no mention of marijuana or any
other specific issues. Nor did Holton, who in his
concession statement thanked, among others, the
coalition of organized labor groups that backed his
candidacy.But medical marijuana advocates seized on
Rosenblum's win as a sign that voters were at odds
with the federal government's recent crackdown on
storefront cannabis shops in states that have legalized
personal use, possession and cultivation of pot for
healthcare reasons.As Oregon's chief federal
prosecutor last year, Holton was in the vanguard of
that crackdown, sending letters to owners, operators
and landlords of storefront pot outlets warning they
faced prosecution and civil enforcement actions for
involvement in the sale of cannabis.While medical
marijuana is legal in Oregon, the sale for profit of
cannabis to any of the state's 55,000 registered
cannabis patients is considered illegal, although
growers can be reimbursed for supplies and
utilities.Even so, some medical marijuana "cafes" have
sprung up in the state, drawing the ire of groups
opposed to drug use.The primary contest unfolded as
two groups in Oregon are racing to collect enough
signatures for two separate ballot initiatives seeking to
legalize marijuana for recreational use in the state.If
their efforts are successful, Oregon voters will join
those in Colorado and Washington state who will
decide on the matter in November. A total of 16 states,
plus the District of Columbia, allow medical marijuana,
though cannabis remains classified as an illegal
narcotic under federal law.Some experts predicted a
Rosenblum triumph could resonate well outside of
Oregon's largely Democratic-registered electorate."A
victory for Rosenblum could have symbolic power
which would reach beyond the state into the national
debate," said University of Oregon political science
professor Joe Lowndes.(Additional reporting by Alex
Dobuzinskis; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by
Cynthia Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)
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