WHY DO NURSES URGE A YES VOTE FOR MEASURE 91?
Urgent research needed for medical marijuana.
Schools need drug education, not drug dealers.
Mental health treatment needs funding.
As nurses we have firsthand experience with how people use marijuana. There is no question the current approach of treating it as a crime has failed. With Measure 91, Oregon has a better way forward.
PROBLEM: Medical marijuana transforms lives, but almost no research can be done on it. For patients with diseases like multiple sclerosis or cancer, medical marijuana can be the difference between a bearable and unbearable life. But because marijuana is illegal, there’s no effective system for labeling, testing and dosing. Medical studies are nearly impossible to conduct. Patients and doctors must rely on guesswork.
SOLUTION: Make marijuana legal so that medical research can be done and doctors and patients can get basic information.
PROBLEM: Schools need drug education, not drug dealers. Right now, people who buy marijuana are giving money to drug cartels and black market dealers. These dealers sell marijuana to children, making it too easy for kids to get. And they are the ones who “educate” kids about marijuana.
SOLUTION: Tax marijuana so the money goes to drug prevention, not to drug dealers and cartels. Children are more likely to say no to marijuana when they get proven drug education. With tobacco, regulation, taxation and education has been effective in reducing use.
PROBLEM: Mental health is woefully underfunded. We’re throwing people who need mental health treatment into jails and turning them into hardened criminals.
SOLUTION: Tax marijuana so money goes to mental health treatment. It’s cheaper and less cruel than addressing mental health problems by putting people behind bars.
| Rachel Seidelman, Registered Nurse – Portland Mark Jacklin, RN – Grants Pass Mary Ellen Ashmore, retired nurse – Eugene Maggi O’Brien, RN – Roseburg |
Pat Hughes, RNC BSN – Portland Rosemary J. Piser, MS HL&A – Eugene Davi Hawk, RN – Grants Pass |
(This information furnished by Pat E Hughes, RNC. BSN..)