Attorney General John Kroger spoke at length at city club today. I'd encourage you to listen to his entire speech at 7pm on OPB, because Kroger devoted the majority of his time to advocating for better drug treatment in the state. Kroger plans to convene a task force to create a 10-year-plan to improve the system, and it's an exciting prospect. "If Texas is being more innovative than Oregon on this issue," he said, "then that's something Oregon needs to think about."

Kroger also described his consumer protection and environmental prosecution efforts, which quite frankly could be transformational in Oregon. But they're not what you really want to hear about right now, so I'll cut to the chase: On the Sam Adams decision...

"I know that decision pleases some people, and it upsets some people. For all of you, no matter which camp you fall in, I will simply say one thing," said Kroger. "The Adams case raises significant legal questions, significant ethical questions, significant political questions. As a prosecutor in the case, my job is to resolve the legal questions. That's what the process does, and I am confident that we have resolved those legal questions correctly. But it would be wrong for a prosecutor to try and resolve the moral or political questions. That's not my job, that's a job for the citizens of Portland."