Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy
The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act (OCTA) initiative has qualified for the November ballot, the Oregon Secretary of State Election Division's official Twitter feed announced last Friday evening. That means voters in three Western states will vote on versions of marijuana legalization this year. The other two are Colorado and Washington.
"Today is an historic day for Oregon and for the national movement for common-sense marijuana policy," Paul Stanford, chief petitioner said in press release the same night. "Oregon's long had an independent streak and led the nation on policies that benefit the public good. Regulating marijuana and restoring the hemp industry is in that tradition of independent, pragmatic governance. Whether you're liberal or conservative, urban or rural, young or old, regulating and taxing marijuana and hemp makes sense for Oregon."
OCTA now becomes Measure 80 on the November Oregon ballot. It would regulate marijuana for adults 21 and over, with commercial sales only through state-licensed stores. The state's general fund would receive 90% of tax revenues, estimated at more than $140 million annually. Another 7% would go to drug treatment programs, and the remaining 3% would go toward promoting Oregon’s hemp food, fiber and bio-fuel industries.
Regulating marijuana is a more rational approach to decreasing crime and improving youth and public safety, said Neill Franklin, executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, which supports the initiative.
"When the voters of Oregon pass this commonsense initiative, it will take money right out of the pockets of violent gangs and cartels and put it into the state's tax coffers, where it can be spent on improving schools, roads and public safety," said the 34-year career law-enforcement officer and veteran of narcotics policing in Baltimore. "Plus, when cops like me are no longer charged with chasing down marijuana users, we will be able to fully focus on stopping and solving serious crimes like murders, rapes and robberies."
Parts of organized labor are taking an interest in the job potential of a legal marijuana commerce.
"We support Measure 80 because it'll get middle-class Oregonians back to work, it’s as simple as that," said Dan Clay, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 555. "Whether it's hemp biofuel refineries on the Columbia River or pulp and paper mills in central Oregon, hemp makes sense and fits Oregon's renowned sustainability economy."
A hundred days out from election day, it looks like we've got us a possible marijuana legalization trifecta.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
Comments
wow
In reply to wow by common sense (not verified)
a retard
ok so who ever wrote this is a joke you dont know what you are talking about people use this for pain and can you tell me one person that has died for over dosing on weed ummm hmmmm oh thats right you cant so why dont you practice falling down ill be there never haha why dont you keep your comments to your self.
In reply to wow by common sense (not verified)
So you'd rather have the
So you'd rather have the money go to Cartels and gangs that inject violence and crime into our streets?? Marijuana is a "soft" drug first of all compared to Meth and Heroin, so legalizing of those "hard" drugs will NEVER happen. Use your "common sense" and research things before you comment on them, it'll make you look like les of an idiot.
In reply to wow by common sense (not verified)
Why is someone like you
Why is someone like you posting on this site? There are plenty of anti-prohibition sites for you to spread misinformed stupidity !! Please go away and let the adults have an intelligent conversation !!
In reply to Why is someone like you by Scooby (not verified)
Preach Only To The Choir Here
Just as I suspected, only the choir can post on this site. Anyone who disagrees with the party line of Stopthedrugwar.com is anathema. Their opinions aren't welcome, so why should we give them free speech? Only received opinion of your sect is welcome here.
In reply to Preach Only To The Choir Here by Gabor Neke (not verified)
I wouldn't tell him he shouldn't post on this site, his post
was so childish, and devoid of content, that I was pleased to see it as an example of what the opposition is 'thinking', it didn't merit any response at all as far as I was concerned. If you want to make the best argument you can against the merit of cannabis legalization, I'll be happy to read it.
In reply to wow by common sense (not verified)
In case you didn't notice,
In case you didn't notice, while this particular article is about cannabis, the website as a whole is indeed about making all drugs legal (though 'legal' does not mean, as I suspect you think, 'no restrictions at all'; sensible regulation is the aim of most drug policy reformists, and what is a sensible policy regarding cannabis is likely to be very different from what is a sensible policy regarding heroin or methamphetamine) - and yes, the potential to raise taxes rather than squander them on policing people's private lives is one of the many arguments that are brought to the table, but not by any means the clincher - the fact that drug prohibition causes far more harm than it prevents, and that it is manifestly unjust, would be nearer the top of the list.
But if you think it is 'just dumb' to have the cannabis industry regulated by the state, rather than entirely controlled by criminals, you're going to need to produce real-world evidence in favour of that assertion. I say let's see it.
In reply to wow by common sense (not verified)
WOW - omg you sorry brained
WOW - omg you sorry brained excuse for humanity- sorry, - your logic says "legalize pot, might as well legalize murder" you watch "reefer madness" often?
In reply to wow by common sense (not verified)
Obviously Uneducated
YES!!!!
YES!!!!
Yes!!!
Yahoo!!!!
Government abuse of citizens must end!
The War on Drugs is a huge failure!
The War on Drugs must end!
It only creates Mafias, Drug Lords, and Drug Militias.
End the whole thing now.
Job well done
A job well done goes out to Paul Stanford and Willie Nelson and all those who help make this possible. Oregon will be blazing another trail into new territory and will be the first state to legalize marijuana and hemp. May the feds be damned.
In reply to Job well done by gypski (not verified)
AMEN to that........What are
AMEN to that........What are they going to do arrest the whole state.?..LOL. Instead of the feds being the pioneers of great social change they get to represent the idiots they truly are !!
Woo Whoo!!!!
Fantastic news!!!
Congratulations and thanks to all those involved in getting this on the ballot.
Tremendous effort!!
We will be free!!!
Great news! However, please
How about it, Oregon Democratic Party?
The Washington and Colorado Democratic state parties have earned a place in history by supporting the legalization initiatives in their states. Here's hoping the Oregon Dems seize their chance to join them in saying no to alcohol supremacist bigotry.
Cool beans, now spread the
Cool beans, now spread the word and get everyone to the polls in November. mark your calendars, sharpie it to your forehead and be there.
this is not freedom
its a step in the right direction but I think so many Americans have forgotten what Freedom is. Cannabis being controlled by the government, sold from liquor stores and being taxed IS NOT FREEDOM. Cannabis is a plant and should be available to anyone who wants to use it or grow it. I am glad that people are waking up and realizing how stupid it is to fight a war over a plant, but don't mistake government control of cannabis as legalization or even a resemblance of freedom because it is not.
In reply to this is not freedom by John Q. Uber-D… (not verified)
So because its regulated by
So because its regulated by the government, that means it doesnt equate with freedom?? That is pretty stupid, because if you havnt noticed, you are Free- and yet you live in a society where almost everything is regulated by the government in some way. After the crisis of 2008, proved that there needs to be more regulation in the financial markets, does that mean the people have no Freedom with their money?? The answer is no. WE DO NOT NEED TO LIVE IN A STATE OF ANARCHY TO BE FREE!!!
Government regulation is a way of life, and as the events of 2008 proved, markets need to be regulated- same goes for the creation of a new market for marijuana. We live in a democratic society, and our ability to vote on this kind of issue shows our freedom, not the fact that it may have regulations. Everything in this country is regulated to some degree, that does not make you any less free.
I thank God that I dont live in an Anarchic society, especially when living in such as society would be a horrible society to live in..... especially in consideration of the anarchists, that all they can achieve or think to do to promote their ideals, is to break a bunch of windows. Just because there are laws, created by the many via democratic processes, does not mean you are not free.
Legalize MJ for tax money. Most of all, drug laws ARE NOT WORKIN
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