At time of writing, 54.5% of the vote in Oregon has been counted and analysts and media outlets are calling it a victory for Oregon’s Measure 91 to legalize and regulate marijuana. With that amount counted, the totals are 55.1% YES to 44.9% NO.
“Oregon voters have delivered another crippling blow to the war on marijuana consumers,” NORML Communications Director Erik Altieri commented, “By a strong margin, Oregonians rejected the failed policy of prohibition and chose to pursue a new approach to marijuana, one that has so far been successful in Colorado and Washington and will prove successful in Washington, DC and now Oregon.”
We will be publishing much more detailed information about what this means for the state and what implementation will look like in the coming days. Stay posted.
Isn’t it the fourth state to legalize? Wa, Co, DC, Or?
Victory! Thank you Oregon! Lets see how this influences the U.S. Government v. Pickard et al. Not very far from Sacramento to be off of Judge Mueller’s mind. Congratulations!
DC isnt a state, silly.
DC isn’t a state…
Washington D.C. is not a State…
Go Oregon!!! This is awesome.
Also, @Steven, D.C. isn’t a state, which is why Oregon’s the third “state” to become legal in the USA. The fourth location in America, yes, but the third state. It gets confusing when D.C. isn’t a part of any state. 🙂
@ Steven- No the district of columbia is not a state making oregon the third.
Steven, D.C. is not a state. -_-
Right, the great state of DC….
@Steven, DC isn’t a state, bro.
Steven,
DC is not a state. It’s a district.
Get Legal today! Its about time! And now natures botanically most advanced plant Hemp/Marijuana will be fully unleashed!
Here’s to hoping Alaska will be #4
For all the people that say d.c. is not a state……does it matter ….if legalized in the nation’s capital……keep your mouths shut and just wait till next year…….if they legalize in d.c………imagine how many “states” would follow……
is DC a state?
Steve, D.C. is not a state
If d.c. Legalizes……state or not…….it is nations capital……imagine how many other states will follow next election????????
It’s about time.
But the way, it’s being reported that Obama’s IRS is prepared to seize all profits from marijuana sellers who haven’t grown their own bud. What happened to this guy? Why is Obama worse than Nixon?
And just think, this happened for Oregon during a Midterm Election! The dominoes continue to fall.Florida also had a symbolic victory…57%. thats a higher percentage than California’s 55.6% for the 212 initiative in 1996.
I think Its time for some people to wake up and smell the coffee,er,i mean the buds,the earthy smell of pine and incense.
The District of Columbia is not a state. Ssmoke another one.
Steve has been smoking too much please don’t hold it against the rest of us
i’m confused….
is DC not a state? i need to hear it ONE more time! 😉
This is great can’t wait for New York to put this matter on a ballot.
5 part of the us, Guam is a us territory
California needs to be next so we have one solid unified coast.
Washington DC is our national capital enough said there
Poor Steven. Post comment then smoke weed.
Let ‘er Buck, Oregon. Go West, young man, Go West. Thanks for making pot legal in Oregon today. Visiting Washington has been real with legal pot, but to go home to Oregon and legal pot is a miracle. 😉 Way to Go!
Yea that’s because D.C. is not a state…
This is fantastic. Congratulations Oregon for leading the way to a sane approach to freedom. The WAR on pot started out of GREED in 1939 has harmed EVERYONE. It’s inhumane. Florida came very close at 58% of 60% for an amendment to their constitution. Bad approach.
This is fantastic. Congratulations Oregon for leading the way to a sane approach to freedom. The WAR on pot started out of GREED in 1939 has harmed EVERYONE. It’s an inhumane policy. Thank goodness it’s over for Oregon. Florida came very close at 58% of 60% for an amendment to their constitution. Bad approach.
Steven, I hope you’re not from anywhere in N. America. To confuse the status of D.C. with that of statehood suggests a fundamental lack of knowlede, period. If you’re from anywhere else in the world, you get a pass on that one, but anyone in the USA or Canada who makes that mistake needs to put away the bong and open up a textbook. This comment is coming from someone who’s been a daily toker for 40 years.
Props to the states that are leading the way. I need to move pronto as I can still be jailed for life in my state for doing what I love. Its scary sometimes but so is drastic relocation.
Congratulations to voters of Oregon and those who helped get this on the ballot. Keep it responsible and continue to set a good example of how this can be done without particular ill-effect making it just a little easier to accomplish in other states.
C’mon guys give Steve a break and lets see where it rolls to in 2016.
My goodness people, are you still getting your kicks from being the same bully you were back in junior high school? it looks like most of you couldn’t wait to jump all over Steve regarding DC. How many times do you need to say the same thing? DC is not a state, we get it, we get it already.
As far as Jawbreaker420 goes, you should probably learn how to spell (knowledge) or at least learn how to spell check before you tell people where they are allowed to be from. It is obviously time for you to put the bong down after 40 years and stop being such an racist and small minded pinhead.
We in New York State have a long way to go because the majority of our legislators do not truly represent their constituents. If they did, they support would be there in the State Senate.
However, even IF the support was there, we would have to get it through Dictator Cuomo, so the buck will always stop there.
I don’t think that our state government allows for it to go on a ballot whereby the residents of New York State get to vote on it like other states. We truly have a screwed up government here and I don’t see it changing.
Cuomo needs to go — and like yesterday.
I,m from the great state of d.c. lol. and i,m twisting one up.
As a native Oregonian I’m so happy that Oregon has thrown off the drug wars shackles and let the lying, cheating, and illegal actions of the law enforcement establisment in their attempts to deny people free access to low cost, medicine and anxiety reducing herb have been stopped. Now the NO on 91 opponents need to be investigated for illegal use of government resources and misuse of paid work time which they spent working to support 1 side of an issue in an election which is blatantly illegal!
Congrats Oregon, does that mean the jack booted thugs will no longer be kicking down your doors to steal your wealth? Does this mean we will be given back our civil liberties surrendered in the war on the American people? Will the truth be published once again over the emotional psudo-science our current police state expoused to rationalize their theft practices?
Smoking weed has nothing to do with one’s ability to recognize statehood. I know a guy who cheers the Washington Redskins because he was born in Washington State, and he hasn’t had any weed or alcohol in 7 years! (I know, it’s sad, but i live in Texas now, so its hard enough teaching people there are other latin american countries besides Mexico down here… “Argentina? Is that a part of Mexico?”)
Alas, poor Steve’s mistake does point out why commercially taxed marijuana revenue needs to be spent on public education.
A more common confusion in an already checkered marijuana law are the boundaries between Federal property ( the White House, National Mall, monument…) and the Actual District of Columbia (Anacostia, North West and pretty much everywhere but the center of the city actually belongs to the city… To this day, i still don’t know how that city functions). So you can soon possess up to 6 plants and all the paraphernalia you want a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol, Congress and white house that prohibits it, yet the Department of Health and Human Services can still launch an investigation and take “state” custody of your children… (And yes, i just said a case worker can take “state” custody in the District of Columbia and i don’t want to hear any $#!+ about it either! 🙂 )
Seriously, people need to get educated about this before carrying vaporizers and weed onto Federal Property. Theres bound to be a crucial conflict requiring the whole NORML legal staff to figure out how to defend.
The Oregon win is huge here folks, but I would be remiss if I did not point out a few things that seem contradictory or ill conceived in the bill.
First off, the bill becomes effective 12/4/14, but possession, sales, distribution, transport of marijuana, and all it’s forms, will not be legal until July 1, 2015, which begs the question, what exactly has changed? SEC 82 and SEC 84 [the word operative in SEC 82 supersedes SEC 84’s assertion that the bill becomes effective 30 days after voters approve the measure (have to love the letter law some days ^^)]
Secondly, the OLCC [Oregon Liquor Control Commission] will be taking retailer/producer/distributor applications for licenses no later than 1/4/16 {but could be sooner if they think there is a good chance revenue will flow sooner than expected (crossing fingers)}. SEC 18 That said, I find it strange they had not already had the finer points worked out moving this functional measure forward: ready to start allowing folks to log into a website and begin applying for licenses 30 days after the law went into effect.
Thirdly, initial application for becoming one of the aforementioned business owners is $250 and if granted a license, the cost of doing business, will be $1,000 a year [not entirely too expensive, but is likely to move out some of the smaller entrepreneurs].
Additionally, if you have had one prior conviction for either distribution to a person 21yrs, or older, or were a manufacturer within a 5yrs period you will be ineligible to apply to become a now legal member of the working force. No more than one conviction is allowed, additionally the way the bill reads it seems that if a person was ever convicted of possession they might be ineligible. SEC 29.3 Unfortunately this is going to keep some level of the black market alive for a bit longer.
Lastly, there is no provision for the removal of drug testing which means if you are a smoker, you can be tested at any time and your livelihood [aka your job] could still be in jeopardy. This makes little to no sense because this bill clearly states that marijuana is no longer considered a “controlled substance” in Oregon. SEC 72 The writers’ refusal to add an appropriate sectional amendment to address this serious issue is nothing short of criminal or at the very least extremely short sighted. This issue will now have to be taken care of in the court system only after a few hard working citizens lose there jobs then sue their respective employers to challenge their right to use.
There are a ton of things to like about this win/bill, but it was far from perfect.
Thank you Nathaniel Grant for bringing those shortcomings to the attention of those of us who were not aware. Still, an imperfect reform today is better than a perfect reform somewhere down the road that may never happen at all. Probably the reason why the measure neglected so many important peripheral issues is that it was a grassroots movement. The professionals, that is to say the politicians whom we elect and pay huge salaries to legislate on our behalf have for over seven decades failed to do the job they are being paid to do. The only recourse was for a bunch of amateurs to form a grassroots movement to overturn the unfair laws that oppress us.
Maybe the citizens passing our own laws due to the failure of those whom we pay to legislate for us will come as a wake-up call, and the politicians will address those shortcomings in Measure 91. Or maybe they will continue to fail us by allowing companies to fire employees who consume cannabis on their own private time. In the latter case, no doubt a few martyrs will have to be sacrificed to the court system where such discrimination will eventually be struck down.
Hopefully more and more states will join soon!
Marijuana is gaining ground in the United States to be approved recreational use in Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
Oregon, in the northwest of the country, followed the example of Colorado and Washington state, who pioneered legalize marijuana in 2012 and in Tuesday’s referendum, there was widespread support from voters.
The initiative, called “Measure 91” Oregon residents over 21 can possess marijuana and grow up to a maximum of four floors in their homes.
Also in Alaska legalization, where, as in Oregon, marijuana business will pay taxes, as is done in the states of Washington and Colorado was imposed.