The Oregon secretary of state’s office completed the legalization trifecta this afternoon when they announced the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act of 2012 (OCTA) officially qualified for the November ballot. Oregon now joins Washington and Colorado on the list of states whose voters will have the opportunity to end cannabis prohibition this fall.
Supporters ended up turning in 88,887 valid signatures, slightly over 1,000 more than required for qualification. The initiative will appear on the Oregon ballot as “Measure 80.” According to the campaign, Measure 80 would “regulate cannabis (marijuana) for adults 21 years of age and older, with commercial sales only through state-licensed stores. Ninety percent of tax revenue, estimated at more than $140 million annually, would go to the state’s battered general fund. Seven percent of tax proceeds would go toward funding drug treatment programs, and much of the remaining revenue would be directed toward kickstarting and promoting Oregon’s hemp food, fiber and bio-fuel industries.”
A June 2012 survey from Public Policy Polling showed Oregonian’s were split on the issue. 43% responded that they believed marijuana should be made legal, 46% believed it should remain illegal, and 11% were undecided.
You can read more about Measure 80 at the campaign’s website or through their Facebook page. NORML will keep you updated as the campaign moves forward and expect more in-depth coverage on the initiative to follow shortly.
Very excited to see this passed. 😀 OCTA also was donated $4 million dollars via the the biggest private food company in the USA (or something like that) for advertising for this measure. I hope it gets voted on!
It looks like supporters of Measure 80 need to get the word out. With 43% for and 46% against, the campaign needs to gear up and get the needed support to pass this measure.
This better work and trickle down to the biggots conservatives in Louisiana Not taking any more shit grow a Seed 420_4- life
This is it ladies and gentlemen. Our time to take our freedom back is here. I fear that voting is not enough though, so I will be donating to the New Approach Washington (I-502) through their website today. I would suggest that any Oregonians and Coloradans do the same for their respective organizations who sponsored these ballot initiatives. We can do this, we HAVE to win this fight!
The truth is we don’t have a choice whether cannabis is abundant in our state but we do have a choice of wear the money will go surrounding it. To the black market or to programs of our choosing that benefit the people as a whole.
OREGON & WASHINGTON are all being POLICED all the snitches are setting up the growers the patients its ALL rigged.
BEWARE of OREGON & WASHINGTON
I am still of the mind set that the profiteers, govt and cartels etc won’t let it pass. Too much to lose. DEA goes away. Sativa on every patio? To much to believe in. Or am i just paranoid? 🙂
I believe the title of the article should be, “And then there were four”. Remember Prop 19 in California back in 2010. It did not pass but received 46% of the voters support if you can believe those numbers. The diebold voting machines have to be thrown out if we want our vote to be counted. These machines are completely a racket checkout blackboxvoting.org
If the cannabis community wants to see change, we have to be more vocal and proud! 🙂 We need to show the 11% (and 46%) why we believe in legalization of cannabis. I can’t wait for November to see all the hype on various blogs, reddit, digg, media, etc; and I hope it will be enough to sway those undecided who do not know much about the issue in general.
I’m very exited, 2012 has potential to set monumental precedents regarding the future of cannabis legalization.
I strongly encourage everyone to post fats about marijuana messages on their respective facebook, twitter, myspace, etc. accounts. Below you can find a link to a lot of good information. There are a lot of lies about marijuana that the majority of the anti-marijuana public holds to be true and we need to start telling the truth. Marijuana is not a gateway drug, prison creates hardened criminals from peaceful people, water overdose kills more people than marijuana, studies have proven that marijuana does not reduce your capacity to learn, coffee is generally considered by doctors to be more addictive than marijuana…and the list goes on. Just use care and tact so that you don’t post anything that makes marijuana users seem stupid, ridiculous, disrespectable, ect. Focus on posting topics for which you can provide a link to a website containing the scientific data.
http://cannabisfakta.swecan.org/08-zi-mo.pdf
Here is one example:
The most common argument I hear about why marijuana should be illegal is because it is supposedly a gateway drug. According to the Institute of Medicine, here in the US, the is simply not true. Wikipedia quotes the Institute of Medicine: “In 1999, a study by the Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Health at the Institute of Medicine entitled “Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base,” found no evidence of a link between cannabis use and the subsequent abuse of other illicit drugs on the basis of its particular physiological effect.”
The reason marijuana is illegal is because crazy people who are scared of their own shadows have projected their internal fears onto marijuana. There are no sensible or logical reasons for it to even be a legal issue, other than crazies don’t like it.
Normal folk that don’t like something, don’t care about it. They don’t obsess for years about sending other people to jail because of their projected fears. This is exactly like how Russia used to lock up people for being spies just because they had a camera. No evidence of wrong doing, but get sent to jail anyway.
Crazies. Let’s stop putting them in charge.
I hope this passes for many reasons. The main reason is that I feel there is no good logical reason for the prohibition of cannabis. I’ve done a ton of research on this subject, and simply put, the prohibition of cannabis is downright stupid. It’s hilarious, but more than anything, sad that 50% of the population doesn’t realize this. Cannabis should be as legal as lettuce.
This country and many others have it completely backwards. You go to a party and liquor is everywhere. Meanwhile the people that wish to enjoy the herb have to go somewhere where they won’t be seen. Emergency rooms across thethe country get overwhelmed with people shot, stabbed, and beat up because of alcohol related incidents. Meanwhile we’re getting thrown in jail for mere possession. I truly believe this is one of the biggest mistakes of mankind.
Yes, and for that matter.
We could win if a lot of people started speaking up about it-but who wants to? Talking positively about cannabis on TV might trigger a search warrant raid at your house where the pot is. It’s kind of like we have freedom of speech but we don’t on matters such as this. They’re not invincible, they will die, and DAMMIT they will NOT beat us. We’re making the decision to not lose. We need people with nuts to trip this into a full-scale country debate. The US government isn’t invincible. Maybe to other countrys but not to itself. I’m going to post this on several other forums.
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Oh, I just love that last tidbit of information there towards the end.
I personally can attest to the fact that keeping marijuana illegal makes more people experiment with alcohol; which destroys your health, makes you sick, is expensive and as heavily manufactured as crystal meth, makes you aggressive, is highly addictive, dangerous to comedown from (when addicted) and costs thousands of Americans their lives every year.
Absolutely senseless. It makes me so sick. And I couldn’t tell you the last time I smoked marijuana, because I’m a law-abiding citizen, regardless of how ridiculous the law is. 😉
Way to go Oregon!!! Woo-Hoo! Show those bastards a thing or two!!!
It really sounds like they’ve thought out wonderful tax avenues as well.
In Florida where I live it is still a felony for one plant. The Republicans do not even allow Obamacare. So we all suffer. In all ways. We need help here getting Marijuana even discussed. How do we get medical marijuana made legal in a system of hate? Which is Florida.
I hope Michigan is still working on this. I haven’t heard anything in a while.
IMHO Cannabis is very misunderstood. From personal experience I can say that I have never had a negative reaction to cannabis and know that it has absolutely helped me sleep. I tried melatonin and that helped for about three days and then it just stopped working so I switched to nyquil and that just made my entire body feel jittery thus leaving me sleepy but very uncomfortable as well as unable to sleep as a result.
It is nuts that things like alcohol and Cigs are completely legal and something that is so helpful and recreationally enjoyable is not. Isn’t it time to understand that the comment made by that officer (random news video w/ oregon police officer) is completely invalid, he stated that we are teaching our younger generation the wrong message by seeking the profits from cannabis sales….WHAT ABOUT THE ATF and their usable income from the taxes and regulations of alcohol and tobacco …seem a little hypocritical much???? HAVE YOU EVER TRIED IT, IF YOU SAY NO THEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN YOU DISAGREE WITH THE LEGALIZATION.
The other half of the coin is that the industrial rendering of hemp fibers could be a major OREGON Niche and could dramatically help our economy. its time to get our heads out from the dark ages and realize that this is A. never going to go away and good people will continue to get arrested for NO REASON, and B. The information created by the government in the 60’s ( I could be wrong on the date ) was totally meant to deceive the American public, making them believe that “raging black men” and degenerates will cause major problems in the US and that coupled with many other lies including that it causes brain cell atrophy took place in monkeys under “normal” conditions (HAH!.. NOT), THEY PUMPED 60 JOINTS IN 5 MINUTES FOR 3 MONTHS STRAIGHT THROUGH A GAS MASK…if that isn’t oxygen deprivation I don’t know what is and that is the obvious reason for the killing of the brain cells.
Please read OCTA and please stop standing in the way of a brighter future where GOOD people are not in fear of arbitrary arrest and jail time with actual scary people that SHOULD be in jail and are there for GOOD reason.
THANK YOU and please think before you just call us a bunch of “stoner retards”. there are only a small number that go in that category, the rest are just like you and me and I BET YOU WOULD BE SUPRISED HOW MANY PEOPLE THERE ARE THAT PARTAKE IN THIS MISUNDERSTOOD AND WRONGFULLY DEMONIZED PLANT.
AGAIN THANKS,
US CITIZEN
What I mean to say above is that… the fact that people are going to be forced to go underground about enjoying cannabis and that if this doesn’t pass……. you get the idea
what about nebraska where do i find the recent news on prop. 19
As I said, The WEST COAST from California up is all being SET UP so Patients end up in JAIL and the Real Corruption for is the North region OREGON & WASHINGTON.
Patients with paid current Medical Marijuana Cards are still being busted from the Dealers who are getting a kick back and then getting busted too.. as the GOV says they allow each county to do as they please as it is NOT a Fed law…Its all Bullsh*t people..Patients, Growers and Caregivers are all being POLICED and Jailed its ALL rigged.
The Cops are coming in taking the Medicine and where is it going..?
Then patients, growers and caregivers are getting JAILED or sent to the State Mental Wards.
Then Patients are legally having their SSI or SSD taken away and the PRIVATE Jails get monies from the State for your head and then they get your Fed earnings in their pockets.
WAKE UP Its all a SET UP from our Fed Gov and the Govs are all getting a kick back.
BEWARE of OREGON & WASHINGTON and Sadly now to say fro a long time now..CALIIFORNIA…
I am very excited for this bill. If the Americans of these states have any common sense the bills should pass. It is crazy to continue to let millions of dollars go to the black market when it could go to state programs for the benefit of all. I recommend watching the documentary The Union.
I have my ommp card and I’m happy with the law(s) as they stand in the state of Oregon. I do NOT want state marijuana store’s suppling med’s to or for me. I have 100% faith in the quality of my med’s that my grower supplies to me. Keep the state out of the pharmaceutical business.