Hi Folks:

Late summer while attending the Bones and Brew 2000 at the Portland water front, another patient and myself (I am also a patient) found ourselves seeking a place to medicate. We asked at the Red Cross station if they could direct us to a place out of public view so that we could medicate with our cannabis without violating OMMA (Oregon Medical Marijuana Act). We were directed to the head of security. We caught up with this gentleman, who was very pleasant and asked us nicely if he could see our OMMA cards. Of course we showed them proudly.

After inspecting our cards he said, "my brother is the head of your program". I asked him 'your brother is Dr. Grant Higginson?' His answer was 'Yes'. He honored our cards and walked us to his private trailer where we medicated comfortably and without incident.

As we walked to the trailer I asked if we could discuss a plan to set up a booth or other structure to facilitate OMMA patients at these many public events. Some events last for hours, and even days, and patients may need to medicate without violating the Act. When we exited the trailer he handed me his phone number and asked that I contact him in early spring to make this a reality. We plan to call this the OMMA Oasis.

So now I continue my passive-aggressive behavior every where I go. On Oct. 8th 2000, I attended the Al Green concert at the University of Portland, at the Chiles Center. Again I asked the safety person for direction and security was called to assist me. The friendly security officer did appear to be at a loss for words but after inspecting my OMMA card escorted me to a site out of public view. Once again my card, #500, was honored.

I encourage other OMMA patients to assert their rights. As long as it is done with respect and courtesy for others as well as for the Act, the law itself. It can be the beginning of OMMA being excepted into society. I will need help staffing the oasis for these events with card-carrying patients, so if anyone is interested please contact me.

I am also looking for volunteers to help us with the New Millennium Marijuana March May 5th 2001 at Pioneer Square downtown Portland. We hope to make next years an even bigger success with vendors and a much larger march.
 

Madeline Martinez
Patient Advocate
Asst. Director PdxNORML ( www.pdxnorml.org )
(503)777-9088 PdxNad@pdxnorml.org

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