A Republican-sponsored bill that would recriminalize the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana passed the Oregon State Legislature on Wednesday and now stands before Gov. John Kitzhaber (D). The governor has five days to decide whether to sign or veto the bill.
House Bill 3643 increases the penalty for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana from a non-criminal “violation” to a class C misdemeanor crime. Under the new law, individuals would be arrested and, if convicted, could face up to 30 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, and loss of their driving privileges for six months.
“This ill-advised legislation will cost the state at least $2 million per year, and the legislature intends to pay for this added cost by taking the money from youth crime and drug prevention funds,” said NORML Executive Director R. Keith Stroup, Esq. “This bill would effectively send thousands of otherwise law-abiding Oregonians to jail for smoking marijuana.”
State activist Paul Stanford agrees. “The state is already reeling financially … and now the legislature [wants] to spend our tax dollars to arrest, try, and jail nonviolent cannabis users,” he said. “Oregon cannot afford such an expensive, ill conceived bill.”
Oregon was the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in 1973. Presently, marijuana decriminalization laws remain in effect in ten states: California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon. Individuals found possessing small amounts of marijuana in these states receive a traffic-like citation and must pay a small fine.
For more information, please contact either Sandee Burbank at (541) 298-1031 or Paul Stanford of the Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp at (503) 235-4606. For additional information, please contact R. Keith Stroup of NORML at (202) 483-5500.