The official ballot title given by the Oregon Secretary of State for the 1998 campaign was "Allows Medical Use of Marijuana Within Limits; Establishes Permit System".

[5] Supporters of Measure 33 claimed that the prohibition on marijuana sales to patients hindered their ability to obtain the quantities they need for treatment.

Some also feared that this expansion would have attracted the ire of the federal government, who would have attempted to shut down the entire Oregon medical marijuana program.

The new guidelines no longer give patients the ability to argue an "affirmative defense" of medical necessity at trial if they exceed the allowed number of plants.

[8] Donna Nelson introduced a bill in the 2007 legislative session that would have prohibited law enforcement officials from using medical marijuana.

[9] Kevin Mannix, a former state legislator and former candidate for governor, circulated an initiative petition that would have asked voters in the 2008 general election to scale back the law.

Supporters argue that the measure is needed to ensure that patients have a supply of medical cannabis and that the imposed licensing fees will generate millions of dollars in revenue for the state.

On August 2, 2010, the Oregon Secretary of State announced that the non-profit dispensary proposal would be placed on the November ballot as Voters' Pamphlet, Measure 74, page 59.

Arguments were submitted by former Portland Police Chief and Mayor, Tom Potter; retired Oregon Supreme Court Justice Betty Roberts; former federal prosecutor Kristine Olson; as well as several doctors and nurses, including, Dr. Richard Bayer, Chief Petitioner of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act.