Tag Archives: Randy Philbrick

Oregon Cities, Counties Ban Marijuana

Official returns from the state of Oregon show that approximately two-thirds of localities rejected the marijuana industry at the ballot box, even if they voted for statewide legalization two years ago.

Randy Philbrick of Portland for Positive Impact said:  “The final tally I have is 35 cities and 3 counties in Oregon voted to ban marijuana businesses. Since all of these votes were in counties that passed Measure 91 by 55% or more it looks like public acceptance is changing back towards opposition.”

Ignorance is bliss.  Once people legalize marijuana and see what it’s like, do they change their mind?

Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana  “As in Colorado and other places, Oregon voters may have cast their ballot for statewide legalization, but they don’t want much to do with it on the local level,” said Kevin Sabet, President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM). “This vote should send a strong message to state legislators and even members of Congress that people are not comfortable with pot shops in their neighborhoods or marijuana cultivation sites near their homes.”
Relatively populous Marion County, for example, rejected non-medical marijuana businesses 53 to 47 percent. Residents there even rejected medical marijuana stores. Lake Oswego banned non-medical sales by twenty points. West Linn also rejected marijuana stores. Both areas are primarily Democratic voters.

Legalizing Marijuana: a Real World Perspective

NOTHING good comes from legalizing marijuana

Legalizing marijuana is the hot topic today. The money hungry pot lobby is on one side, small non-profit organizations on the other. One side is endangering our children the other seeks to educate and protect. Amidst all this controversy are ordinary citizens with a real world perspectives. The following is by Randy Philbrick, father of two and Director of Smart Approaches to Marijuana – Oregon. Continue reading Legalizing Marijuana: a Real World Perspective

Rescheduling Marijuana and other Parts of the CARERs Act

by Randy Philbrick, Director, Smart Approaches to Marijuana – Oregon Marijuana is a Schedule I drug because it lacks any scientific evidence supporting its medicinal value. The pro pot lobby is trying to get Congress to pass the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERs Act). Here is a summary of the proposed CARERs Act: Continue reading Rescheduling Marijuana and other Parts of the CARERs Act

GAO Critiques Justice Department for Allowing Failed Pot Experiment

Government Accountability Office Takes on DOJ for Failure

Today the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report recommending the Department of Justice (DOJ) implement a specific plan for documenting the effects of marijuana legalization.
The report, which Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) requested, states that DOJ has not “documented their monitoring process or provided specificity about key aspects of it[.]”  This lack of specificity includes missing information about “potential limitations of the data [DOJ officials] report using and how they will use the data to identify states that are not effectively protecting federal enforcement priorities.”

Continue reading GAO Critiques Justice Department for Allowing Failed Pot Experiment