At least now Oregon voters will be able to say whether they think state and local law enforcement agencies should spend their limited budgets busting people for a couple of joints. We're confident Oregonians have more sense than that. We are also disturbed by Willamette Week's cavalier attitude toward being arrested. O'Hagan made it sound like a minor inconvenience - a stance we strongly reject. Falling into the clutches of the criminal justice system is always a crisis, even if you never spend a day in jail.
Defense lawyers cost a lot of money.
Many people have lost their jobs when their bosses learn they've been charged with a drug crime. Families have broken up over far less. How Willamette Week can think otherwise is beyond us. If O'Hagan and Zusman think otherwise, we suggest they talk to former Multnomah County Deputy DA Dave Peters. Until recently, Peters was one of the most respected lawyers in the entire DA's office.