IMPORTANT: Ellen Rosenblum for Oregon Attorney General.

As I’ve said time after time, the most important candidate race in Oregon is the one for Attorney General. There is no Republican candidate, so whoever wins the May Democratic primary between Dwight Holton and Ellen Rosenblum will be the next Oregon Attorney General. It might surprise some people to find out that Dwight Holton isn’t running as a Republican, I know I was definitely surprised. But then again, it’s kind of surprising that Dwight Holton is running in Oregon at all considering he is from Virginia (where his dad was Governor from 1970-1974).The debate started with people piling into a classroom at Willamette School of Law. The candidates were making the rounds before the debate kicked off and I was able to shake the hands of both candidates. After a brief introduction and explanation of the rules of the debate, the event started. Each candidate was given a 2 minute introduction, with Dwight Holton going first via coin flip. Ellen Rosenblum was much more energetic and seem more comfortable than her opponent Dwight Holton.The moderator, Brenda JP Rocklin, then asked questions that were answered by both candidates. Each candidate was allotted two minutes for their responses. Questions ranged from management experience to projected personal deficiencies that each candidate anticipates dealing with if elected. One of the most telling questions to me during this portion of the debate was when the moderator asked which former Oregon Attorney General each candidate felt they resembled most. Dwight Holton didn’t have an answer. His exact quote was, ‘I broke the mold while I was a prosecutor for Oregon.’ That seemed a bit arrogant, and highlights the fact that Dwight Holton is not a true Oregonian. He didn’t have any examples because he obviously doesn’t know much about Oregon history.​

Ellen Rosenblum on the other hand knocked this question out of the park. Ellen first pointed out that there is one big difference between her and previous Oregon Attorney Generals – she is a woman. After receiving a cheer from the crowd, she then provided no less than four examples of previous Oregon Attorney Generals and which qualities they possessed that she would also bring to the table if elected. I was watching Dwight Holton’s face during her examples, and it looked like he could tell he botched that question.After the set questions were over, it was time for Dwight Holton and Ellen Rosenblum to answer questions from the audience. The moderator made a comment that there were 8 questions from the crowd in regards to marijuana policy, which received a cheer from the crowd. It was by far the most dominate topic of the audience question portion of the debate. Unfortunately, all of the questions were lumped into one ‘meatloaf’ question that allowed the candidates to pick and choose which ones they wanted to include in their answer. I would have liked to see Dwight Holton answer each one of them to get him on the record. The questions included everything from ‘how does prohibition keep marijuana out of the hands of children?’ to ‘how will you protect the safe access to the over 50,000 Oregon medical marijuana patients?’​

Dwight Holton gave a very long winded answer. He used about half the time to explain that marijuana is separate from the drug war. Marijuana supporters might find that interesting considering Dwight Holton tried to attack the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) every chance he had as a federal prosecutor in Oregon. After his flip-floppish answer, Holton very reluctantly stated that the OMMP was voted in by Oregonians, but was also quick to point out that he wouldn’t tolerate it being a ‘front for drug trafficking.’Ellen Rosenblum was very straight to the point. She will not focus limited government resources towards marijuana enforcement against patients, and if voters approve an initiative at the ballot box that ends marijuana prohibition, she will respect that. I was delighted when Ellen Rosenblum pointed out that Dwight Holton once referred to the OMMP as a ‘train wreck.’ The crowd wasn’t buying his BS, and I’m glad Ellen pointed out the obvious.There were no less than five Oregon Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) chapters present at the debate. For any readers that question the dedication of SSDP chapters, here is another prime example of how awesome they are. Oregon SSDP Coordinator Sam Chapman tried to ask Dwight Holton a simple question about the Higher Education Act/Aid elimination penalty, but Dwight Holton was able to successfully dodge the question after his assistant stated that they didn’t have time to answer it because they had to leave. Ellen Rosenblum was kind enough to pose for pictures, as seen to the right with Oregon activist Jim Greig.This debate confirmed what I hope everyone should know by now; that Oregonians need to vote for the true Oregonian in this race – Ellen Rosenblum. During the debate, Ellen Rosenblum pointed out the need for prison reform in Oregon, which is a point that Dwight Holton agreed upon. Ellen told the story about how she was on one of the first prison reform committees in Oregon in 1988. Where was Dwight Holton in 1988? In between college degrees living on the East Coast…Do I really need to say more? VOTE ELLEN ROSENBLUM FOR OREGON ATTORNEY GENERAL!Check out the ‘Not Dwight Holton’ webpage and ‘like’ the ‘Not Dwight Holton’ Facebook page​

Loyal readers know by now how I feel about the 2012 Oregon Attorney General race between Ellen Rosenblum and Dwight Holton. But it doesn’t seem like enough other people know about it, especially outside of Oregon. I’m sure a lot of medical marijuana supporters are thinking, ‘Well it is another state, so why should I care?’ I will explain exactly why you should care. For starters, Dwight Holton is not from Oregon. He has never tried a case in Oregon, and he wasn’t even a member of the Oregon bar until 2009 from what I’m told.What Dwight Holton has done in Oregon is lead a series of raids on medical marijuana providers in Southern Oregon Oregon last fall as Interim US Attorney. Dwight Holton came into Oregon as an outsider and led the charge that deprived hundreds of legal patients of their medicine. As a candidiate, Holton told the Eugene City Club that Oregon medical marijuana law is a “train wreck.” It’s clear he intends to throw patients using the program on the rails of the Dwight Holton Career Politican Express.To make matters worse, Dwight Holton is running as a ‘Republican in Democrat’s clothing.’ This is proven by his comments referred to above, where before he called the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program a ‘train wreck’ he talked about aligning himself with Republicans around the state when elected. You can hear him say it for yourself by listening to the audio found at the this link.Why would an obvious Republican run as a Democrat for Oregon Attorney General in 2012? Because there is no GOP candidate for Oregon Attorney General in 2012. Dwight Holton is running against Ellen Rosenblum in the Oregon Democratic primary on May 15, and it’s winner take all. Dwight Holton, and his team of elitists, think they can pull one over on Oregon voters by purchasing the election. They hope that by the time Oregon voters realize what happened come November, it will be too late, and one of the most raging anti-medical marijuana crusaders on the planet will be in charge of the judicial system of a state that has the second oldest medical marijuana program in the nation.It’s no coincidence that this is happening. Anti-medical marijuana opponents know that if they can install Dwight Holton in Oregon as Attorney General, they can begin to dismantle the West Coast medical marijuana scene by controlling the administrative process. They don’t care what voters approved in 1998, they know that if they can be crafty and win this particular election, they can strike a blow in the heart of the West Coast. What do you think will happen next? Do you think it will just be Oregon?Elected officials, candidates, potential candidates, and political consultants all over the country watch what happens to the campaigns of other candidates who take various positions on issues. If a candidate gets killed for suggesting a sales tax, other candidates will stay away from suggesting a sales tax. If a campaign picks up steam by calling for attacks on Iran, more candidates will begin calling for attacks on Iran. IF DWIGHT HOLTON WINS ON A PLATFORM THAT INCLUDES ANTI-MEDICAL MARIJUANA POSITIONS, MORE CANDIDATES WILL BEGIN DOING THE SAME. See why you need to take more notice of this, regardless of where you live?!If Dwight Holton is elected, you will hear the words ‘we cannot carry out the medical marijuana program in Oregon anymore because it leaves state workers liable to federal prosecution.’ That phrase has been a very successful tactic that has been used in medical marijuana states on the East Coast to block implementation, but it has never been tried in a state that already has a program going. This is their chance to try to take us down, WE CAN’T LET IT HAPPEN!!!Right now, it’s time to put candidates, officeholders, and political consultants across the nation on notice. Let’s show them that if you try to make a name for yourself by going hard after medical marijuana patients, or marijuana users in general, it will cost you votes, and possibly elections. Let’s show them that we want candidates that have compassion for suffering people, and logical reasoning skills that recognize that medical marijuana is real, and that forcing your personal views onto the justice system is wrong and will not be tolerated.The race is so important to medical marijuana, that two web campaigns and a ‘Not Dwight Holton’ Facebook page (like it!) were started by the medical marijuana community to oppose his candidacy. The links are provided below. There are numerous mj initiatives going on across America, and in no way do I want to take anything away from them. However, outside of the Presidential race, there is no other candidate-based race that is more important than this one for medical marijuana. Or for marijuana in general, because if they are trying to dismantle medical marijuana programs, how do you think they feel about legalization initiatives?​

www.NotDwightHolton.comwww.BeatHolton.comwww.Facebook.com/NotDwightHolton​

For readers out there that are wondering about Dwight Holton’s opponent Ellen Rosenblum, and her stance on marijuana policy, here is an interview that she was kind enough to send answer back to me for. Dwight Holton’s campaign has refused to respond to any of my questions. My questions are in bold, Ellen Rosenblum’s answers are underneath:Q: If marijuana is confiscated from a medical marijuana patient, and it is determined that the patient committed no crimes, would you instruct law enforcement to return the medical marijuana that was seized?Yes. The law on the books in Oregon currently requires the return of seized marijuana under certain limited circumstances. As Attorney General, if those circumstances exist, I would advise law enforcement agencies to return marijuana to card-holding patients.Q: Last year many medical marijuana gardens were raided, and many threatening letters were sent to medical marijuana businesses. Should we expect similar actions if you are elected, or will you take a different approach?I will take a different approach. I strongly support the right of patients to obtain the medicine they need to help them cope with their medical conditions. The voters of Oregon enacted the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (OMMA), and I support their decision. Additionally, I do not see the enforcement of laws against marijuana an effective use of our limited public resources. The priorities of the next Attorney General should be protecting children, families, and the elderly from abuse and fighting for consumers by taking on criminals, scammers, and corporations that break the law — not marijuana enforcement.Q: Oregon will likely join Colorado and Washington with a marijuana legalization initiative on the ballot in the 2012 election. What are your thoughts on this type of initiative?Marijuana should be the lowest priority of law enforcement. My position would of course depend on the language of the initiative, but I support directing our scarce public safety resources towards other purposes.Q: If Oregon voters approved marijuana legalization at the ballot box, would you respect the will of the voters, or would you uphold the will of the federal government?As Attorney General, I will defend the laws of Oregon adopted by the voters or the Legislature.​