Congressman Earl Blumenauer has been one of the most prominent elected officials fighting for sensible marijuana laws for over forty years, going all the way back to his state legislator days in the early 1970s when he helped Oregon become the first state to decriminalize cannabis. Portland’s Representative certainly hasn’t slowed down on his support for cannabis law reform, if anything he has been ramping up his responsible approach, sponsoring important legislation and introducing good idea after good idea. Representative Blumenauer has done a great job working across the aisle and the political spectrum to work on needed reforms, such as expunging old marijuana convictions, taxes, banking and ending federal prohibition of marijuana. I am very excited to get to ask Rep. Blumenauer about the very latest in federal marijuana reforms at the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference as he is always very informative, entertaining and he provides great tips to activists on how we can help his work federally and across the country.
Congressman Blumenauer’s latest good idea is to reclassify, or even deschedule, marijuana federally after the head of the DEA finally admitted that heroin was more dangerous than marijuana. The Portland Business Journal reports:
Today, Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) welcomed the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg’sacknowledgement that “ heroin is clearly more dangerous than marijuana.”
Oregon voters legalized the recreational use of marijuana last fall. Retail sales will begin Oct. 1.
“We are in the midst of a revolution to reform and modernize marijuana policy in the United States,” Blumenauer said. “…Well over 1 million patients across the country now use medical marijuana at the recommendation of their physician to treat conditions ranging from seizures, glaucoma, anxiety, chronic pain and nausea. The federal government is woefully behind.”
I often gush about the fact that I am proud of voting for Congressman Blumenauer as he represents my district in Portland, but I can’t support this man enough. At every opportunity, he is working to improve our cannabis laws and he has become an expert on marijuana policy, learning from stakeholders across the country. If you get a chance to come to the OMMBC, having the opportunity to hear Congressman Blumenauer and pick his brain for a bit is a great experience. I have seen the representative speak several times and he always has the audience’s full attention and on their feet when he’s done. As marijuana law reform progresses across the country, Congressman Blumenauer will only have more and more allies in Congress as elected officials will know that marijuana law reform is both good policy and good politics.
Anthony Johnson
Anthony, a longtime cannabis law reform advocate, was Chief Petitioner and co-author of Measure 91, Oregon's cannabis legalization effort. He served as director of both the New Approach Oregon and Vote Yes on 91 PACs, the political action committees responsible for the state's legalization campaign. As director of New Approach Oregon, Anthony continues to work towards effectively implementing the cannabis legalization system while protecting small business owners and the rights of patients. He sits on the Oregon Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee and fights for sensible rules at the legislature as well as city councils and county commissions across the state. Anthony helps cannabis business comply with Oregon's laws and advises advocates across the country. He also serves as content director of both the International Cannabis Business Conference and the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference, helping share the vision of moving the cannabis industry forward in a way that maintains the focus on keeping people out of prison and protecting patients. He was a member of the Oregon Health Authority Rules Advisory Committee, assisting the drafting of the administrative rules governing Oregon’s state-licensed medical marijuana facilities. He first co-authored and helped pass successful marijuana law reform measures while a law student at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. He passed the Oregon Bar in 2005 and practiced criminal defense for two years before transitioning to working full-time in the political advocacy realm. His blogs on Marijuana Politics are personal in nature and don't speak for or reflect the opinions of any group or organization.
