Laserfiche WebLink
states without such legislation. He asked the councilors to ask Congressman Peter DeFazio and other <br />Oregon representatives to back Mr. Hinchey on the amendment. He noted that the amendment gained <br />momentum every year and most recently four of the Oregon representatives supported it and only one <br />opposed it. He hoped that no one doubted the legitimacy of medical cannabis. He acknowledged that for <br />years it had been touted as a cancer-causing agent and countered that recent studies suggested this was not <br />so. He cited a study that indicated that cannabis actually helped to fight cancer in some situations. He had <br />letters prepared for the councilors to sign. <br /> <br />James A. Greig <br />, 145 Ruby Street, spoke on behalf of Americans for Safe Access, stressed that he was <br />advocating strictly for medical use of cannabis. He said he had been in Washington, DC, lobbying for the <br />Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment. He met with 21 members of Congress and both Oregon State Senators <br />and most of his meetings had gone well. He stated that the Death with Dignity Law did not allow patients <br />in their final stages of life to get “their medicine” through a pharmacy. He noted that California adopted a <br />dispensary system. He said until regulations were passed by the State or Federal government that would <br />classify cannabis as a Schedule 3 medicine, obtaining the medicine was a dilemma faced by medical <br />marijuana users. He added that people also faced employment loss and the loss of custody of children. He <br />supplied information on the addictive properties of a number of drugs including nicotine, caffeine, and <br />alcohol, and also on the “gateway theory,” which showed that tobacco was proved to be more of a gateway <br />drug than marijuana. He stated that federal forfeiture laws could be brought into play and a person <br />growing medical marijuana for personal use could lose his or her home. He encouraged the council to <br />agree with Congressman DeFazio and other supporters of the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment. He <br />added that he was a medical marijuana user because of chronic pain due to arthritis and related muscle <br />spasms and problems associated with glaucoma. He had been able to reduce his dependency on pain pills <br />through use of medical marijuana. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy closed the Public Forum and called for council comments. <br /> <br />Councilor Kelly thanked the speakers in the Public Forum. He encouraged Mr. Greig and Mr. Erickson to <br />obtain signatures to the letters during the council break. <br /> <br /> <br />2. CONSENT CALENDAR <br /> <br />A. Approval of City Council Minutes <br />- May 10, 2006, Workshop <br />- May 22, 2006, City Council Meeting <br />- May 24, 2006, Work Session <br />- May 31, 2006, Work Session <br /> B. Approval of Tentative Working Agenda <br />C. Approval of Minutes, Findings, and Recommendations from the Hearings Official and Adop- <br />tion of Resolution 4882 Forming a Local Improvement District for Paving, Constructing <br />Curbs and Gutters, Sidewalks, Street Lights, Water Quality Bioswales, and Stormwater <br />Drainage on River Avenue from 200 feet East of River Road to 100 feet West of Beltline <br />Highway (Job #3693) <br />D. Transfer of Water Pollution Control Facility Property from the City of Eugene to the Metro- <br />politan Wastewater Management Commission <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 26, 2006 Page 2 <br /> Regular Meeting <br /> <br />