Oregon’s special Senate committee succeeds in ending stalemate

regon’s newest tactic to get organized with Measure 91 has
been created in the form of a House-Senate committee that has been voting on many
relevant issues. It’s uncommon that a group of people such as this one cannot
come to a consensus, but this particular committee encountered a stalemate that
was a cause for pause. As a result, a special committee was created to address the
issue that caused a stalemate in hopes of avoiding future setbacks—and it has
already succeeded.

According to The
Oregonian, the committee’s stalemate was concerning the choice to decide
how much power to give to cities and counties in terms of banning medical cannabis
dispensaries and processors. The House-Senate committee encountered a
frustrating evening of failed votes, and recessed for the night after they
could not reach a consensus. The reason for the impasse: Neither the Senate nor
the House could agree on how to address local government’s power in the banning
of medical cannabis dispensaries. Senate members stated that they want to give local
governments the ability to ban dispensaries, giving residents the power to
collect signatures, and take the issue to a ballot. House members however, leaned
towards the opposing side, stating that it was unfair to local cannabis
patients to allow a ban.

Rather than enduring the stalemate further, a special Senate
committee was arranged. Senator Ginny Burdick, Co-Chair of the previously noted
House-Senate panel, was named the chair of a new Senate committee. By changing
the leadership of the Senate in this particular case, Burdick believes that she
can “win a strong bipartisan majority on the Senate floor,” which might, in
turn, effect the decisions of the House as well. Burdick, as well as other
Senate members included in the new committee, is in favor of allowing the
banning of medical cannabis facilities by cities and counties. Citizens who
oppose that perspective can collect four percent of the vote in the last
governor’s race of their city/county, which can add the issue to the next local
ballot.

Shortly after the committee was created, the group unanimously
voted 5-0 to move Senate Bill 964 to the Senate for approval. This bill comes with
a number of strict regulations for the medical cannabis industry, which
includes the limitations regarding how many plants that growers can have, mandatory
inventory tracking systems for dispensaries, growers and processors, requirements
for regular inspection and a residency requirement in Oregon.