Jacob Bell
New Member
Tawana Nichols, director of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP), deliberately withheld information from the state's Advisory Committee on Medical Marijuana (ACMM) concerning a massive increase in patient fees, according to Barry Kast, the Administrator of the Office of Community Health and Health Plans that supervises the OMMP. Meanwhile, lobbyists representing the entities that would profit from the fee increases were informed just five days following the introduction of the fee increases.
Responding to inquiries by Jennifer Alexander from the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act campaign as to why Ms. Nichols did not inform patient advocates of the pending 100%-2000% fee increase at the June 6, 2011 meeting of the ACMM, Mr. Kast explained,
"Staff of the OMMP were only marginally aware of the options under consideration by the Joint Committee on Ways and Means as legislative discussions moved forward....
The LFO [legislative financial office] report presented on May 24 to the Human Services Sub-Committee of Ways and Means included specific written and oral testimony detailing increases in fees, changes in policy and a spreadsheet with budget adjustments. The adjustments included the fees in question based on estimates of projected revenues that would be generated by the changes recommended....
As you can see, the Ways and Means Committee had not acted on the budget officially at the time the ACMM met on June 6. ...
In my judgment she proceeded cautiously at the ACMM meeting last week and delivered exactly what she promised as soon as the Ways and Means Committee moved the budget forward. To have said more to the ACMM on June 6 would have been as irresponsible as saying nothing at all and could have jeopardized the relationship of the program with policy-makers in Salem."
Mr. Kast's explanation is that nothing was official about raising the basic patient fee from $100 to $200 because it was not official yet. Mr. Kast further explains that on June 8 (Wednesday) the joint committee released their bill, on June 10 (Friday) the bill was forwarded to the Senate and House. On June 11 (Saturday), Ms. Nichols sent a memo to the head of the ACMM for distribution to the rest of the committee and the patient community for a bill that just passed today, on a Tuesday before noon.
The problem with Mr. Kast's explanation is that Doug Barber, a lobbyist from "LobbyOregon" representing "business, governmental and nonprofit clients in the fields of health care, public transit, and social services", was made aware of the proposed fee increase and was disseminating that to his clients at the Oregon Rural Health Association (ORHA).
This newsletter, dated May 29, just five days after Mr. Kast admits Ways & Means had the consideration in mind, explains to ORHA that "Pot Smokers to Fund EMT MTU (Mobile Training Units)"
"Medical marijuana card fees will double – from $100 to $200 per year – raising $7 million in 2011-13 to help fund public health. Those funds will be used to restore funding for both EMT Mobile Training Units.
Rep. Jim Thompson (R-Dallas) who sponsored HB 3850 for the Oregon Rural Health Association, when hearing that the MTUs were funded, joked, "I might have to get one of those cards."
So the people who benefit from the taxing of the sick are given eleven business days advanced knowledge of its passage ("will double", not "may double") and the people paying the tax, through their advisory committee (that by law must be kept apprised of medical marijuana program changes in the legislature), are given one business day advanced knowledge.
The insult of referring to medical marijuana patients as "pot smokers" is typical of the way some lawmakers believe the program is a joke. Senator Bates, in his remarks introducing the bill, made a feeble joke about the bill coming from the Ways & Means Joint Subcommittee, not a subcommittee concerned with marijuana joints.
The bill easily passed the Senate with little debate. Now that the budget bill has the medical marijuana fee increases tucked in along with so many other budget items it will be near impossible for the House to resist passing it. Both chambers and both parties are eager to close up the session for the summer and get the bill to the governor's desk.
Meanwhile, as the legislature taxes the poorest of the sickest 40,000 patients to raise $7 million in revenue, 360 thousand other Oregonians who use cannabis remain untaxed and unregulated to the tune of $200 million in potential revenue.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: examiner.com
Author: Russ Belville
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Clarity Digital Group LLC
Website: Oregon Medical Marijuana Program hid massive fee increase from patients
Responding to inquiries by Jennifer Alexander from the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act campaign as to why Ms. Nichols did not inform patient advocates of the pending 100%-2000% fee increase at the June 6, 2011 meeting of the ACMM, Mr. Kast explained,
"Staff of the OMMP were only marginally aware of the options under consideration by the Joint Committee on Ways and Means as legislative discussions moved forward....
The LFO [legislative financial office] report presented on May 24 to the Human Services Sub-Committee of Ways and Means included specific written and oral testimony detailing increases in fees, changes in policy and a spreadsheet with budget adjustments. The adjustments included the fees in question based on estimates of projected revenues that would be generated by the changes recommended....
As you can see, the Ways and Means Committee had not acted on the budget officially at the time the ACMM met on June 6. ...
In my judgment she proceeded cautiously at the ACMM meeting last week and delivered exactly what she promised as soon as the Ways and Means Committee moved the budget forward. To have said more to the ACMM on June 6 would have been as irresponsible as saying nothing at all and could have jeopardized the relationship of the program with policy-makers in Salem."
Mr. Kast's explanation is that nothing was official about raising the basic patient fee from $100 to $200 because it was not official yet. Mr. Kast further explains that on June 8 (Wednesday) the joint committee released their bill, on June 10 (Friday) the bill was forwarded to the Senate and House. On June 11 (Saturday), Ms. Nichols sent a memo to the head of the ACMM for distribution to the rest of the committee and the patient community for a bill that just passed today, on a Tuesday before noon.
The problem with Mr. Kast's explanation is that Doug Barber, a lobbyist from "LobbyOregon" representing "business, governmental and nonprofit clients in the fields of health care, public transit, and social services", was made aware of the proposed fee increase and was disseminating that to his clients at the Oregon Rural Health Association (ORHA).
This newsletter, dated May 29, just five days after Mr. Kast admits Ways & Means had the consideration in mind, explains to ORHA that "Pot Smokers to Fund EMT MTU (Mobile Training Units)"
"Medical marijuana card fees will double – from $100 to $200 per year – raising $7 million in 2011-13 to help fund public health. Those funds will be used to restore funding for both EMT Mobile Training Units.
Rep. Jim Thompson (R-Dallas) who sponsored HB 3850 for the Oregon Rural Health Association, when hearing that the MTUs were funded, joked, "I might have to get one of those cards."
So the people who benefit from the taxing of the sick are given eleven business days advanced knowledge of its passage ("will double", not "may double") and the people paying the tax, through their advisory committee (that by law must be kept apprised of medical marijuana program changes in the legislature), are given one business day advanced knowledge.
The insult of referring to medical marijuana patients as "pot smokers" is typical of the way some lawmakers believe the program is a joke. Senator Bates, in his remarks introducing the bill, made a feeble joke about the bill coming from the Ways & Means Joint Subcommittee, not a subcommittee concerned with marijuana joints.
The bill easily passed the Senate with little debate. Now that the budget bill has the medical marijuana fee increases tucked in along with so many other budget items it will be near impossible for the House to resist passing it. Both chambers and both parties are eager to close up the session for the summer and get the bill to the governor's desk.
Meanwhile, as the legislature taxes the poorest of the sickest 40,000 patients to raise $7 million in revenue, 360 thousand other Oregonians who use cannabis remain untaxed and unregulated to the tune of $200 million in potential revenue.
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: examiner.com
Author: Russ Belville
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: Clarity Digital Group LLC
Website: Oregon Medical Marijuana Program hid massive fee increase from patients
