Oregon - U.S. Senate and House Candidate Endorsements based on drug war policy reform Note: This is an old Voting Guide. Go to the New Drug WarRant.net Voting Guide Make a difference in Oregon Drug WarRant is providing information to help you make decisions on voting and supporting candidates. Be aware that the information provided here ONLY relates to drug policy reform, and there are other reasons to vote for a candidate. However, drug policy reform is a critical issue, and one that is too often neglected by candidates, unless the voters make it critical. Below each candidate, you will see information about their drug policy reform views and/or voting record. (see the criteria at right for definitions). A red check mark is a Drug WarRant endorsement. A vote for them will be a vote for drug policy reform. In some cases there may be multiple good options. In other cases, there just isn't a good candidate. More endorsements will come as the election nears. If you have additional information about a candidate's drug policy positions, please contact Drug WarRant. If you don't know your district, go to Project Vote Smart and enter your zip code to find out your district and detailed information on all the candidates. Criteria 1. The National Political Awareness Test (NPAT) asks candidates which items they will support if elected. Not all candidates have answered the questionaire. For the purposes of Drug WarRant's endorsements, we have focused on the following specific items from the NPAT: NPAT Drugs: Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding drugs. Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs. Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs. Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes. Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs." Other or expanded principles For the purposes of endorsement, clearly the most important areas are "c, d, and f." A candidate with all three is gold. Selection "a" is a negative factor (although some consider this only for violent or major drug dealers). Selection "e" should be negative, but is confusing. There are some candidates who have an enlightened view of drug policy, who still choose "e" simply because of the heightened border concerns since 9/11, so there may be more involved in that response. At a minimum, a candidate should have chosen "d." The choice of "c" and/or "f" add greatly to their attractiveness. NPAT Colombia funding: Should the United States increase its financial support to Colombia to combat "the war on drugs"? "No" is the preferred answer here (at a minimum -- in fact, the answer should be to reduce funding, rather than just not increasing it). It is possible that someone could claim they are for increased funding to Colombia, but not for spraying or military purposes, but rather humanitarian purposes -- this seems a stretch, however, so I am looking for a solid "No" here. 2. The Hinchey Amendment. The incumbents have had two opportunities (2003/2004) to vote on an amendment that would stop the federal government from interfering with medical marijuana in states where it is legal. There was no legitimate reason to vote against this (and it was a bipartisan amendment), so a "no" vote is generally an indication of ignorance, or being in the pocket of the drug warriors. The proper response is: "Hinchey: Yes/Yes." 3. Other criteria. Where there is useful information from campaign web sites or news reports, those details are added here. If you have additional information (preferably with links), please let me know. Ballot Initiative Vote YES on Measure 33, which establishes marijuana dispensaries for patients and caregivers and increases the limit for patients. US Senate Al King (R) NPAT Drugs: a,e,g Secure the border, severe consequences for illegal drug sales; NPAT Colombia funding: No Ron Wyden (D) Incumbent NPAT Drugs: b,e; NPAT Colombia funding: No Answer David Brownlow (Constitution) No NPAT Dan Fitzgerald (L) No NPAT Teresa Keane (Pacific Green) No NPAT Wyden's not the greatest, but King would be a nightmare. Update: I'm changing the endorsement to Teresa Keane after hearing from her staff. She's a nurse practitioner and a strong supporter of medical marijuana in Oregon. The view also is that King apparently isn't a real threat, so you might as well place your vote where it will count as a statement. US House 1 Goli Ameri (R) No NPAT David Wu (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: No/No Rich Whitehead (L) No NPAT Dean Wolf (Constitution) No NPAT It's time to dump Wu. I just don't have enough information on the other candidates to make an endorsement yet US House 2 John C. McColgan (D) NPAT Drugs: b,c,d,g Support improved drug education and studies based on scientific research, not scare tactics.; NPAT Colombia funding: Undecided Greg P. Walden (R) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: No/No Jack A. Brown (Constitution) NPAT Drugs: f,g DRUG ISSUES SHOULD BE MATTERS OF STATE DECISION; NPAT Colombia funding: No Jim Lindsay (L) No NPAT I like McColgan's answer, and Walden has to go. US House 3 Earl Blumenauer (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: Yes/NV Tami Mars (R) NPAT Drugs: c,d,e; NPAT Colombia funding: No Dale Winegarden (Constitution) No NPAT Walter F. "Walt" Brown (Socialist) NPAT Drugs: a,c,d,e,g OPPOSE PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE THROUGH USE OF PRESCRIBED OR OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS. ENFORCE USE OF MANAGEMENT - TYPE DRUGS IN HOSPICE CASES AS AUTHORIZED BY FEDERAL HOSPICE LAW; NPAT Colombia funding: No While Mars has some good answers on the NPAT, Blumenauer gets the nod based on the 2003 Hinchey vote. US House 4 Peter A. DeFazio (D) Incumbent NPAT Drugs: b,d,e,g greatly increase funding for prevention, intervention, treatment, and drug courts; NPAT Colombia funding; No; Hinchey: Yes/Yes Jim Feldkamp (R) No NPAT Jacob Boone (L) No NPAT Michael Paul Marsh (Constitution) No NPAT DeFazio supports medical marijuana and treatment over enforcement. The clear choice in this race as an incumbent with a proven record. US House 5 Darlene Hooley (D) Incumbent No NPAT; Hinchey: Yes/Yes James David "Jim" Zupancic (R) No NPAT Jerry Defoe (L) No NPAT Not a whole lot of info here, but I'm willing to reward Hooley for voting for Hinchey Back to main voting guide page.