Oregon Legalizes Marijuana!

Oregon has become the third state to legalize marijuana. Voters Tuesday approved Measure 91, which will legalize personal marijuana possession and cultivation and set up a system of taxed and regulated marijuana commerce.

According to election results compiled by The Oregonian, with two-thirds of the votes counted, the initiative was winning with 53.7% of the vote. That was good enough for the state's largest newspaper to call the election. [Update: Measure 91 finished up with an even more impressive 55.9%.]

Under Measure 91, adults 21 and over will be able to possess a half-pound of pot and grow up to four plants. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission will be charged with drafting regulations and overseeing implementation of the will of the voters. It will act in consultation with the state Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Health Authority.

Personal legalization will not go into effect until next July 1, and legal marijuana commerce will not begin until December 2015.

For drug reformers, Oregon is another feather in the cap on a day that already saw Washington, DC, legalize it.

"It’s always an uphill battle to win a marijuana legalization initiative in a year like this, when young people are so much less likely to vote, which makes today’s victory all the sweeter," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "The pace of reform is accelerating, other states are sure to follow, and even Congress is poised to wake from its slumber."

DPA’s lobbying arm, Drug Policy Action, was the single largest donor to the Oregon campaign and was deeply involved in the measure’s drafting and on-the-ground campaign. The campaign benefited from serious financial backing, spending more than $2 million.

"Having spent years as a prosecutor, I know that Oregon will benefit greatly from regulating marijuana, and that the example set here will influence future states in 2015 and beyond," said former Assistant State’s Attorney and Oregon resident Inge Fryklund, a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), which participated in the campaign.

"With Oregon and DC. coming on board, it's clear that Colorado and Washington voting to legalize in 2012 was no anomaly," said Tom Angell of Marijuana Majority "The trend is clear: Marijuana prohibition is coming to an end. As 2016 approaches, we can expect to see many more ambitious national politicians finally trying to win support from the cannabis constituency instead of ignoring and criminalizing us."

New Approach Oregon, the campaign behind Measure 91, was apparently too busy savoring its victory to put out a statement by press time. That's okay; we understand.